ammo

/ˈæ.məʊ/

//ˈæ.məʊ// noun

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

"ammo" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ammo” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #15,326) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#15,326
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
3
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-ammo · ammo · English

ammo · rank #15,326 · 3 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,326
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 3 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH ama

Nearest frequency peer: ama (-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 neighbours of confusable “ammo”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “ammo” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

ammo vs ao
50% similar
ammo vs arm
50% similar
ammo vs Amy
25% similar

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

Key facts for ammo
PropertyValue
Headwordammo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæ.məʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#15,326
Misspellings tracked3
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “ammo”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).ammolands 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 “ama” (#15,325), “Amos” (#15,327), “alarmed” (#15,324). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “ammo” is #15,326. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for ammo is neighbouring look-alikes ("ao", "arm", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈæ.məʊ/. Frequency #15,326 among 3,931 “A” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for ammo, with forms such as "amo", "amom", and "mamo". 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, "ao", "arm", "Amy", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of ammunition + -o. The correct English form is ammo, spelled A-M-M-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ammunition.
  2. 2
    Chips or money, usually at a casino.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Under fire when this magazine is emptied you shout for “ammo” but perhaps No. 2, the ammo carrier, is lying in the rear with a bullet through his napper. Then it's “napoo-fini” (Tommy's French) for Mr. Lewis.
  2. We walked onto the racecourse like a pair of Wyatt Earps, cashed up and plenty of ammo and we walked off like a pair of Elmer Fudds, out of `buwwets'.

Etymology

Clipping of ammunition + -o.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amo
  • amom
  • mamo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amo1amom2mamo2
Edit distance from "ammo"

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 "ammo"?
"ammo" is spelled A-M-M-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæ.məʊ/.
What does "ammo" mean?
As a noun, "ammo" means: Ammunition.
What words are commonly confused with "ammo"?
"ammo" is commonly confused with "ao", "arm", "Amy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ammo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ammo" is /ˈæ.məʊ/. 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 "ammo"?
Clipping of ammunition + -o. 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 "ammo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Amos#15,327Ajax#15,323Abel#15,314slab#15,277

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list