accountant

/əˈkaʊn.tənt/

//əˈkaʊn.tənt// noun

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

"accountant" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“accountant” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,158 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#10,158
frequency rank, English
10
letters
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - One who renders account; one accountable.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

accountant vs accounting
80% similar
accountant vs accountancy
82% similar

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

Key facts for accountant
PropertyValue
Headwordaccountant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈkaʊn.tənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#10,158
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “accountant” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). accountant lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for accountant is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈkaʊn.tənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,158 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for accountant, with forms such as "acconutant", "accounatnt", and "accounntant". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "accounting", "accountancy", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English, from Middle French acuntant. Equivalent to account + -ant. First attested in the mid 15th century. The correct English form is accountant, spelled A-C-C-O-U-N-T-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who renders account; one accountable.
  2. 2
    A reckoner, or someone who maintains financial matters for a person(s).
  3. 3
    One who is skilled in, keeps, or adjusts, accounts; an officer in a public office, who has charge of the accounts.
  4. 4
    One whose profession includes organizing, maintaining and auditing the records of another. The records are usually, but not always, financial records.
  5. 5
    A sex worker, particularly one who does not want to be publicized as one

Etymology

From Middle English, from Middle French acuntant. Equivalent to account + -ant. First attested in the mid 15th century.

This word in other languages

contador(Español)comptable(Français)Buchhalter(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acconutant,accounatnt,accounntant,accountannt,accountantt,accountatn,accountnat,accounttant,accoutnant,accuontant,acocuntant,acountant,cacountant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acconutant2accounatnt2accounntant1accountannt1accountantt1accountatn2accountnat2accounttant1
Edit distance from "accountant"

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 "accountant"?
"accountant" is spelled A-C-C-O-U-N-T-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkaʊn.tənt/.
What does "accountant" mean?
As a noun, "accountant" means: One who renders account; one accountable.
What words are commonly confused with "accountant"?
"accountant" is commonly confused with "accounting", "accountancy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "accountant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "accountant" is /əˈkaʊn.tənt/. 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 "accountant"?
From Middle English, from Middle French acuntant. Equivalent to account + -ant. First attested in the mid 15th century. 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.

Using “accountant”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-C-C-O-U-N-T-A-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈkaʊn.tənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “accounting” - see the side-by-side comparison. accountant vs accounting
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list