amend

/əˈmɛnd/

//əˈmɛnd// verb

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

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

The verdict

“amend” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,854. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,854
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 make better; improve.

Corpus desk

Index EN-amend · amend · English

amend · rank #13,854 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,854
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Amelia

Nearest frequency peer: Amelia (-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 “amend”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “amend” 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).

amend vs and
60% similar
amend vs amid
60% similar
amend vs Ames
40% similar

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

Key facts for amend
PropertyValue
Headwordamend
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈmɛnd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#13,854
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “amend”

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).amendlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Amelia” (#13,853), “arranging” (#13,855), “ambush” (#13,852). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “amend” is #13,854. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around amend (IPA /əˈmɛnd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #13,854 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for amend, with forms such as "aemnd", "amedn", and "amendd". 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, "and", "amid", "Ames", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English amenden, from Old French amender, from Latin ēmendō (“free from faults”), from ex (“from, out of”) + mendum (“fault”). Compare aphetic mend. Doublet of emend. The correct English form is amend, spelled A-M-E-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make better; improve.
  2. 2
    To become better.
  3. 3
    To heal (someone sick); to cure (a disease etc.).
  4. 4
    To be healed, to be cured, to recover (from an illness).
  5. 5
    To make a formal alteration (in legislation, a report, etc.) by adding, deleting, or rephrasing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mud not the fountain that gave drink to thee; Mar not the thing that cannot be amended.
  2. We shall cheer her sorrows, and amend her blood, by wedding her to a Norman.

Etymology

From Middle English amenden, from Old French amender, from Latin ēmendō (“free from faults”), from ex (“from, out of”) + mendum (“fault”). Compare aphetic mend. Doublet of emend.

Synonyms

amelioratecorrectimprove

This word in other languages

remendar(Español)amender(Français)verbessern(Deutsch)melhorar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aemnd
  • amedn
  • amendd
  • amennd
  • ammend
  • amned
  • maend

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aemnd2amedn2amendd1amennd1ammend1amned2maend2
Edit distance from "amend"

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 "amend"?
"amend" is spelled A-M-E-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈmɛnd/.
What does "amend" mean?
As a verb, "amend" means: To make better; improve.
What words are commonly confused with "amend"?
"amend" is commonly confused with "and", "amid", "Ames". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "amend"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "amend" is /əˈmɛnd/. 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 "amend"?
From Middle English amenden, from Old French amender, from Latin ēmendō (“free from faults”), from ex (“from, out of”) + mendum (“fault”). Compare aphetic mend. Doublet of emend. 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 "amend", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

aires#13,850Wyatt#13,845woven#13,844bloke#13,865

Similar misspelling depth

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

Amelia7 variantsboogie7 variantsbowel7 variantsvapor7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list