abnormal

/ˌæbˈnɔː.məl/

//ˌæbˈnɔː.məl// adj

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

"abnormal" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abnormal” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,973. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,973
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not conforming to rule or system; deviating from the usual or normal type.

Corpus desk

Index EN-abnormal · abnormal · English

abnormal · rank #10,973 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #10,973
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH withdrew

Nearest frequency peer: withdrew (-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 “abnormal”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “abnormal” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

abnormal vs abnormally
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for abnormal
PropertyValue
Headwordabnormal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌæbˈnɔː.məl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,973
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “abnormal”

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).abnormallands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “withdrew” (#10,972), “accredited” (#10,974), “Whitney” (#10,971). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “abnormal” is #10,973. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around abnormal (IPA /ˌæbˈnɔː.məl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #10,973 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for abnormal, with forms such as "abbnormal", "abnnormal", and "abnomral". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "abnormally", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ab- + normal. First attested in 1835, replacing the earlier anormal and even earlier abnormous, from Latin abnormis (“departing from normal”), from either ab- (“away from”) + norma (“rule, norm”), or Ancient Greek ἀνώμαλος (anṓmalos). The correct English form is abnormal, spelled A-B-N-O-R-M-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not conforming to rule or system; deviating from the usual or normal type.
  2. 2
    Of or pertaining to that which is irregular, in particular, behaviour that deviates from norms of social propriety or accepted standards of mental health.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And then after an abnormal meal, which was either a very late breakfast or a very early lunch, they drove on to Victoria Station.
  2. Here perhaps one of you might interrupt me and say, 'But what is it that you do, Socrates? How is it that you have been misrepresented like this? Surely all this talk and gossip about you would never have arisen if you had confined yourself to ordinary activities, but only if your behaviour was abnormal. Give us the explanation, if you do not want us to d…

Etymology

From ab- + normal. First attested in 1835, replacing the earlier anormal and even earlier abnormous, from Latin abnormis (“departing from normal”), from either ab- (“away from”) + norma (“rule, norm”), or Ancient Greek ἀνώμαλος (anṓmalos).

Synonyms

aberrantanomalousatypicalexceptionalextraordinaryirregularpreternaturalstrangeunusual

This word in other languages

anormal(Español)inhabituel(Français)unnormal(Deutsch)anormal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abbnormal
  • abnnormal
  • abnomral
  • abnoraml
  • abnormall
  • abnormla
  • abnormmal
  • abnorrmal
  • abnromal
  • abonrmal
  • anbormal
  • banormal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of abnormal - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

abbnormal1abnnormal1abnomral2abnoraml2abnormall1abnormla2abnormmal1abnorrmal1
Edit distance from "abnormal"

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 "abnormal"?
"abnormal" is spelled A-B-N-O-R-M-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæbˈnɔː.məl/.
What does "abnormal" mean?
As an adjective, "abnormal" means: Not conforming to rule or system; deviating from the usual or normal type.
What words are commonly confused with "abnormal"?
"abnormal" is commonly confused with "abnormally". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "abnormal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abnormal" is /ˌæbˈnɔː.məl/. 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 "abnormal"?
From ab- + normal. First attested in 1835, replacing the earlier anormal and even earlier abnormous, from Latin abnormis (“departing from normal”), from either ab- (“away from”) + norma (“rule, norm”), or Ancient Greek ἀνώμαλος (anṓmalos). 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 "abnormal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

withdrew#10,972volatile#10,968vanished#10,964backward#10,986

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

unlawful12 variantstrainers12 variantscosmetic12 variantsspecimen12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list