advertise
/ˈædvə(ɹ)taɪz/
"advertise" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“advertise” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,831 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #11,831
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To give (especially public) notice of (something); to announce publicly.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | advertise |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈædvə(ɹ)taɪz/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #11,831 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “advertise” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for advertise is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈædvə(ɹ)taɪz/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,831 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 advertise, with forms such as "addvertise", "adevrtise", and "adveritse". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "advertiser", "adverse", "Adventist", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English advertisen, from Anglo-Norman advertir (“to inform”), avertir, Middle French advertir, avertir (“to warn, give notice to”), with the French -iss- infix assimilated to -ise, -ize and probably influenced by the noun advertisement. Compare … The correct English form is advertise, spelled A-D-V-E-R-T-I-S-E.
Definition
- 1To give (especially public) notice of (something); to announce publicly.
- 2To provide information about a person or goods and services to influence others.
- 3To provide public information about (a product, service etc.) in order to attract public awareness and increase sales.
- 4To notify (someone) of something; to call someone's attention to something.
- 5In gin rummy, to discard a card of one's preferred suit so as to mislead the opponent into thinking you do not want it.
Etymology
From Middle English advertisen, from Anglo-Norman advertir (“to inform”), avertir, Middle French advertir, avertir (“to warn, give notice to”), with the French -iss- infix assimilated to -ise, -ize and probably influenced by the noun advertisement. Compare also advert.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: addvertise,adevrtise,adveritse,adverrtise,adverties,advertisse,advertsie,adverttise,advetrise,advretise,advvertise,avdertise,davertise
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of advertise - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "advertise"?
What does "advertise" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "advertise"?
How do you pronounce "advertise"?
What is the origin of the word "advertise"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “advertise”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-D-V-E-R-T-I-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈædvə(ɹ)taɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “advertiser” - see the side-by-side comparison. advertise vs advertiser
- 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.