allow

/əˈlaʊ/

//əˈlaʊ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“allow” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,039 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#1,039
frequency rank, English
5
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To let one have as a suitable share of something.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

allow vs also
60% similar
allow vs ally
60% similar
allow vs alot
60% similar

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

Key facts for allow
PropertyValue
Headwordallow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈlaʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,039
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “allow” 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). allow 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 allow is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈlaʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,039 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for allow, with forms such as "alloww", "allwo", and "alolw". 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, "also", "ally", "alot", 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- Latin laus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin laudō Latin allaudō… The correct English form is allow, spelled A-L-L-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To let one have as a suitable share of something.
  2. 2
    To permit, to give permission to.
  3. 3
    To not bar or obstruct.
  4. 4
    To acknowledge, accept the truth of; to concede; to accede to an opinion; to say something one agrees on in the context of a larger disagreement or reluctance.
  5. 5
    To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; especially to abate or deduct.
  6. 6
    To make an allowance, to take into account when making plans.
  7. 7
    To render physically possible.
  8. 8
    To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction.
  9. 9
    To sanction; to invest; to entrust.
  10. 10
    To like; to be suited or pleased with.
  11. 11
    To decide (a request) in favour of the party who raised it; to grant victory to a party regarding (a request).
  12. 12
    To forgo bothering with, to let slide.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Latin laus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin laudō Latin allaudō Old French aloer ▲ Latin ad- Latin locus ▲ Latin -ō Latin locō Latin allocō Old French aloer Anglo-Norman alouerbor. Middle English allowen English allow From Middle English allowen, alowen, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman allouer, alouer, from Medieval Latin allaudāre, merged with alouer, from Medieval Latin allocō (“to assign”). Doublet of allaud (via allaudāre) or allocate (via allocāre). The similarity with Middle English alyfen (from Old English ālīefan) and German erlauben, both from Proto-Germanic *uzlaubijaną (“to allow”) is unrelated.

Synonyms

grantadmitaffordyieldgivepermitallotbestowconcedepermitletgrant licence toconsentgranttoleratesufferpermitadmitconcedeconcedeaccedeacquiesce

Antonyms

banforbidprohibit

This word in other languages

dejar(Español)laisser(Français)erlauben(Deutsch)deixar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: alloww,allwo,alolw,alow,lalow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

alloww1allwo2alolw2alow1lalow2
Edit distance from "allow"

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 "allow"?
"allow" is spelled A-L-L-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈlaʊ/.
What does "allow" mean?
As a verb, "allow" means: To let one have as a suitable share of something.
What words are commonly confused with "allow"?
"allow" is commonly confused with "also", "ally", "alot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "allow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "allow" is /əˈlaʊ/. 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 "allow"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Latin laus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin laudō Lat... 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 “allow”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-L-L-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈlaʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “also” - see the side-by-side comparison. allow vs also
  • 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