acquaint

/əˈkweɪnt/

//əˈkweɪnt// verb

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

The verdict

“acquaint” is an uncommon English word, ranked #52,128 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#52,128
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To furnish or give experimental knowledge of; to make (one) know; to make familiar.

Key facts for acquaint
PropertyValue
Headwordacquaint
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈkweɪnt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#52,128
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “acquaint” 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). acquaint 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 acquaint is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈkweɪnt/. Corpus data places it at rank #52,128 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for acquaint in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English aqueynten, acointen, from Old French acointier, from Early Medieval Latin accognitāre, from Late Latin accognitus, past participle of accognoscō, from Latin cognoscō, from nōscō. See also quaint, know. The correct English form is acquaint, spelled A-C-Q-U-A-I-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To furnish or give experimental knowledge of; to make (one) know; to make familiar.
  2. 2
    To communicate notice to; to inform; let know.
  3. 3
    To familiarize; to accustom.

Etymology

From Middle English aqueynten, acointen, from Old French acointier, from Early Medieval Latin accognitāre, from Late Latin accognitus, past participle of accognoscō, from Latin cognoscō, from nōscō. See also quaint, know.

Synonyms

familiarizeadviseappriseinformto familiarizeto accustom

This word in other languages

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 "acquaint"?
"acquaint" is spelled A-C-Q-U-A-I-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkweɪnt/.
What does "acquaint" mean?
As a verb, "acquaint" means: To furnish or give experimental knowledge of; to make (one) know; to make familiar.
How do you pronounce "acquaint"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "acquaint" is /əˈkweɪnt/. 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 "acquaint"?
From Middle English aqueynten, acointen, from Old French acointier, from Early Medieval Latin accognitāre, from Late Latin accognitus, past participle of accognoscō, from Latin cognoscō, from nōscō. See also quaint, know. 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 “acquaint”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-C-Q-U-A-I-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈkweɪnt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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