abandonment

/əˈbæn.d(ə)n.m(ə)nt/

//əˈbæn.d(ə)n.m(ə)nt// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"abandonment" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abandonment” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,065. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,065
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of abandoning, or the state of being abandoned; total desertion; relinquishment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-abandonment · abandonment · English

abandonment · rank #17,065 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,065
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH abyss

Nearest frequency peer: abyss (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “abandonment”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “abandonment” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for abandonment
PropertyValue
Headwordabandonment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈbæn.d(ə)n.m(ə)nt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#17,065
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “abandonment”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).abandonmentlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “abyss” (#17,066), “accession” (#17,067), “zodiac” (#17,061). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “abandonment” is #17,065. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around abandonment (IPA /əˈbæn.d(ə)n.m(ə)nt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,065 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for abandonment, with forms such as "aabndonment", "abadnonment", and "abanddonment". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French abandonnement, from abandonner (“to abandon, relinquish”). abandonner was originally equivalent to mettre à bandon (“to leave to the jurisdiction, i.e. of another”), bandon being from Medieval Latin bandum, bannum (“order, decree, ban”)… The correct English form is abandonment, spelled A-B-A-N-D-O-N-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of abandoning, or the state of being abandoned; total desertion; relinquishment.
  2. 2
    The voluntary leaving of a person to whom one is bound by a special relation, as a wife, husband or child; desertion.
  3. 3
    An abandoned building or structure.
  4. 4
    The relinquishment of a right, claim, or privilege; relinquishment of right to secure a patent by an inventor; relinquishment of copyright by an author.
  5. 5
    The relinquishment by the insured to the underwriters of what may remain of the property insured after a loss or damage by a peril insured against.
  6. 6
    The cessation of service on a particular segment of the lines of a common carrier, as granted by a government agency.
  7. 7
    A refusal to receive freight so damaged in transit as to be worthless and render carrier liable for its value.
  8. 8
    The self-surrender to an outside influence.
  9. 9
    Abandon; careless freedom or ease; surrender to one's emotions.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how abandonment appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. To what are we reserved? An adequate compensation "for the sacrifice of powers the most nearly connected with us;"— an adequate compensation "for the direct or indirect annexation to France ot all the ports of the continent, from Dunkirk to Hamburgh;"— an adequate compensation "for the abandonment of the independence of Europe!"
  2. The fate of the railway from Ballater to Braemar has been invested with an air of mystery, which has never been completely dispelled. It has been suggested that Queen Victoria was opposed to a railway in the vicinity of Balmoral Castle, and intervened personally to secure the abandonment of the line beyond Ballater.

Etymology

Borrowed from French abandonnement, from abandonner (“to abandon, relinquish”). abandonner was originally equivalent to mettre à bandon (“to leave to the jurisdiction, i.e. of another”), bandon being from Medieval Latin bandum, bannum (“order, decree, ban”). Equivalent to abandon + -ment. (See also English banns.)

Synonyms

abandoningabdicationabjurationabnegationabrogationcessiondefectiondemissionderelictiondesertionrejectionrelinquishmentrenunciationresignationsurrender

Antonyms

acquisitionarrogationcarecompletionconvivialitycorrectioncustodyentertainmentheedhelphospitalitymaintenancereceptionreclamationretentionsolicitudesupporttenacityvigilancewatchfulnesswelcome

This word in other languages

abandono(Español)désertion(Français)Überlassen(Deutsch)desolação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aabndonment
  • abadnonment
  • abanddonment
  • abandnoment
  • abandomnent
  • abandonemnt
  • abandonmennt
  • abandonmentt
  • abandonmetn
  • abandonmment
  • abandonmnet
  • abandonnment
  • abanndonment
  • abanodnment
  • abbandonment
  • abnadonment
  • baandonment

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of abandonment - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

aabndonment2abadnonment2abanddonment1abandnoment2abandomnent2abandonemnt2abandonmennt1abandonmentt1
Edit distance from "abandonment"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "abandonment"?
"abandonment" is spelled A-B-A-N-D-O-N-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈbæn.d(ə)n.m(ə)nt/.
What does "abandonment" mean?
As a noun, "abandonment" means: The act of abandoning, or the state of being abandoned; total desertion; relinquishment.
What are common misspellings of "abandonment"?
Common misspellings include "aabndonment", "abadnonment", "abanddonment", "abandnoment", "abandomnent". The correct spelling is "abandonment".
How do you pronounce "abandonment"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abandonment" is /əˈbæn.d(ə)n.m(ə)nt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "abandonment"?
Borrowed from French abandonnement, from abandonner (“to abandon, relinquish”). abandonner was originally equivalent to mettre à bandon (“to leave to the jurisdiction, i.e. of another”), bandon being from Medieval Latin bandum, bannum (“order, dec... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "abandonment", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

unpublished#17,052substantive#17,039prominently#17,005extravagant#17,134

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

bureaucratic17 variantsheartbroken17 variantsSmithsonian17 variantscontemplate17 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list