address

/əˈdɹɛs/

//əˈdɹɛs// noun

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

"address" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“address” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,291. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,291
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Direction.

Corpus desk

Index EN-address · address · English

address · rank #1,291 · 7 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,291
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH activities

Nearest frequency peer: activities (-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 “address”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “address” 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).

address vs Andres
57% similar
address vs Andrews
57% similar
address vs Andreas
57% similar

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

Key facts for address
PropertyValue
Headwordaddress
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈdɹɛs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,291
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “address”

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).addresslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “activities” (#1,290), “analysis” (#1,292), “wear” (#1,289). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “address” is #1,291. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around address (IPA /əˈdɹɛs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,291 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for address, with forms such as "adderss", "addres", and "addrress". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Andres", "Andrews", "Andreas", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Old French a- Proto-Italic *dwizrektos Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti Proto-Italic *dwizregō Vulgar Latin dīrigō Vulgar Latin dīrēctus Proto-Ind… The correct English form is address, spelled A-D-D-R-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Direction.
  2. 2
    Direction.
  3. 3
    Direction.
  4. 4
    Direction.
  5. 5
    Direction.
  6. 6
    Direction.
  7. 7
    Direction.
  8. 8
    Direction.
  9. 9
    Direction.
  10. 10
    Direction.
  11. 11
    Preparation.
  12. 12
    Preparation.
  13. 13
    Preparation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [H]e was thus agreeable, and I neither insensible of his Perfections, nor displeased at his Addresses to me […].
  2. a man of pleasing or insinuating address

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Old French a- Proto-Italic *dwizrektos Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti Proto-Italic *dwizregō Vulgar Latin dīrigō Vulgar Latin dīrēctus Proto-Indo-European *-yetider. Vulgar Latin -iāre Vulgar Latin *dīrēctiāre Old French drecier Old French adrecierbor. Middle English adressen English address From Middle English adressen (“to raise erect, adorn”), from Old French adrecier (“to straighten, address”) (modern French adresser), from Proto-Romance *addīrēctiāre, from ad- (“to; towards”) + *dīrēctiāre (“to guide; to direct”), from Latin dīrēctus (“straight; right”), from dīrigō (“to lay straight; to direct”), itself from regō (“to govern, to rule”). Cognate with Spanish aderezar (“to garnish; dress (food); to add spices”).

This word in other languages

dirección(Español)langage(Français)Ansprache(Deutsch)discurso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • adderss
  • addres
  • addrress
  • addrses
  • adrdess
  • adress
  • dadress

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

adderss2addres1addrress1addrses2adrdess2adress1dadress2
Edit distance from "address"

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 "address"?
"address" is spelled A-D-D-R-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈdɹɛs/.
What does "address" mean?
As a noun, "address" means: Direction.
What words are commonly confused with "address"?
"address" is commonly confused with "Andres", "Andrews", "Andreas". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "address"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "address" is /əˈdɹɛs/. 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 "address"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Old French a- Proto-Italic *dwizrektos Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti Proto-Italic *dwizregō Vulgar Latin dīrigō Vulgar Latin dīrēctus... 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 "address", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

telling#1,288protect#1,283details#1,301imagine#1,272

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

choose7 variantscolor7 variantspassed7 variantsdream7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list