adopt

/əˈdɒpt/

//əˈdɒpt// verb

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

"adopt" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“adopt” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,182. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,182
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To take (a child, heir, friend, citizen, etc.) by choice into a relationship.

Corpus desk

Index EN-adopt · adopt · English

adopt · rank #5,182 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,182
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH yoga

Nearest frequency peer: yoga (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “adopt”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “adopt” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

adopt vs apt
60% similar
adopt vs ADP
0% similar
adopt vs alot
60% similar

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

Key facts for adopt
PropertyValue
Headwordadopt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈdɒpt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#5,182
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “adopt” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).adoptlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “yoga” (#5,181), “wright” (#5,180), “Alaska” (#5,184). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around adopt (IPA /əˈdɒpt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #5,182 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for adopt, with forms such as "addopt", "adoppt", and "adoptt". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "apt", "ADP", "alot", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French adopter, from Latin adoptō; ad + optō (“to choose, desire”), equivalent to ad- + opt. The correct English form is adopt, spelled A-D-O-P-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To take (a child, heir, friend, citizen, etc.) by choice into a relationship.
  2. 2
    To take (a child, heir, friend, citizen, etc.) by choice into a relationship.
  3. 3
    To take (a child, heir, friend, citizen, etc.) by choice into a relationship.
  4. 4
    To take (a child, heir, friend, citizen, etc.) by choice into a relationship.
  5. 5
    To take or receive as one's own what is not so naturally.
  6. 6
    To select and take or approve.
  7. 7
    To beat an opponent ten times in a row.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A friend of mine recently adopted a Chinese baby girl found on the streets of Beijing.
  2. We're going to adopt a Dalmatian.

Etymology

From Middle French adopter, from Latin adoptō; ad + optō (“to choose, desire”), equivalent to ad- + opt.

This word in other languages

adoptar(Español)adopter(Français)adoptieren(Deutsch)adotar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • addopt
  • adoppt
  • adoptt
  • adotp
  • adpot
  • aodpt
  • daopt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of adopt - 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.

addopt1adoppt1adoptt1adotp2adpot2aodpt2daopt2
Edit distance from "adopt"

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 "adopt"?
"adopt" is spelled A-D-O-P-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈdɒpt/.
What does "adopt" mean?
As a verb, "adopt" means: To take (a child, heir, friend, citizen, etc.) by choice into a relationship.
What words are commonly confused with "adopt"?
"adopt" is commonly confused with "apt", "ADP", "alot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "adopt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "adopt" is /əˈdɒpt/. 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 "adopt"?
From Middle French adopter, from Latin adoptō; ad + optō (“to choose, desire”), equivalent to ad- + opt. 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 "adopt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

villa#5,174blade#5,191Bucks#5,194camps#5,196

Similar misspelling depth

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

cargo7 variantsradar7 variantscried7 variantsloyal7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "adopt". Here's where to go from here.

  • "adopt" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "apt". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #5,182 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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