anchor

/ˈæŋ.kə/

//ˈæŋ.kə// noun

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

"anchor" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anchor” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,862. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,862
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tool used to moor a vessel to the bottom of a sea or river to resist movement.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anchor · anchor · English

anchor · rank #6,862 · 9 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,862
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH altered

Nearest frequency peer: altered (-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 “anchor”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “anchor” 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).

anchor vs author
67% similar
anchor vs archer
67% similar
anchor vs anyhow
67% similar

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

Key facts for anchor
PropertyValue
Headwordanchor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæŋ.kə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,862
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “anchor”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).anchorlands 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 “altered” (#6,861), “Angela” (#6,863), “algorithm” (#6,860). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “anchor” is #6,862. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around anchor (IPA /ˈæŋ.kə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,862 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 22 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for anchor, with forms such as "acnhor", "ancchor", and "anchhor". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "author", "archer", "anyhow", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk-der.? Ancient Greek ᾰ̓́γκῡρᾰ (ắnkūră)bor.? Latin ancorabor. Proto-Germanic *ankurô Proto-West Germanic *ankurō Old English ancor Middle English anker English anchor From Middle English anker, from Old English ancor,… The correct English form is anchor, spelled A-N-C-H-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A tool used to moor a vessel to the bottom of a sea or river to resist movement.
  2. 2
    An iron device so shaped as to grip the bottom and hold a vessel at her berth by the chain or rope attached.
  3. 3
    The combined anchoring gear (anchor, rode, bill/peak and fittings such as bitts, cat, and windlass.)
  4. 4
    Representation of the nautical tool, used as a heraldic charge.
  5. 5
    Any instrument serving a purpose like that of a ship's anchor, such as an arrangement of timber to hold a dam fast; a device to hold the end of a bridge cable etc.; or a device used in metalworking to hold the core of a mould in place.
  6. 6
    A marked point in a document that can be the target of a hyperlink.
  7. 7
    A line of code in a program which acts as a reference point for further code to be added immediately before or after, usually via copy and paste.
  8. 8
    An anchorman or anchorwoman.
  9. 9
    The final runner in a relay race.
  10. 10
    A point that is touched by the draw hand or string when the bow is fully drawn and ready to shoot.
  11. 11
    A superstore or other facility that serves as a focus to bring customers into an area.
  12. 12
    That which gives stability or security.
  13. 13
    A metal tie holding adjoining parts of a building together.
  14. 14
    A screw anchor.
  15. 15
    Carved work, somewhat resembling an anchor or arrowhead; part of the ornaments of certain mouldings. It is seen in the echinus, or egg-and-anchor (called also egg-and-dart, egg-and-tongue) ornament.
  16. 16
    One of the anchor-shaped spicules of certain sponges.
  17. 17
    One of the calcareous spinules of certain holothurians, as in species of Synapta.
  18. 18
    The thirty-fifth Lenormand card.
  19. 19
    The brake of a vehicle.
  20. 20
    A defensive player, especially one who counters the opposition's best offensive player.
  21. 21
    A batter who remains in for a long time.
  22. 22
    A device for attaching a climber at the top of a climb, such as a chain or ring or a natural feature.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Men that I knew around Wapatomac didn't wear high, shiny plug hats, nor yeller spring overcoats, nor carry canes with ivory heads as big as a catboat's anchor, as you might say.
  2. Condoleezza Rice pops up on Fox to be told by the anchor: “When you invade a sovereign nation, that is a war crime.”

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk-der.? Ancient Greek ᾰ̓́γκῡρᾰ (ắnkūră)bor.? Latin ancorabor. Proto-Germanic *ankurô Proto-West Germanic *ankurō Old English ancor Middle English anker English anchor From Middle English anker, from Old English ancor, ancra, from Latin ancora, from (or cognate with) Ancient Greek ἄγκυρα (ánkura). The modern form is a sixteenth-century modification after the Medieval Latin spelling anchora. Doublet of ancora, anker, angora, and Ankara.

This word in other languages

ancla(Español)ancre(Français)Anker(Deutsch)âncora(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acnhor
  • ancchor
  • anchhor
  • anchorr
  • anchro
  • ancohr
  • anhcor
  • annchor
  • nachor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of anchor - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

acnhor2ancchor1anchhor1anchorr1anchro2ancohr2anhcor2annchor1
Edit distance from "anchor"

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 "anchor"?
"anchor" is spelled A-N-C-H-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæŋ.kə/.
What does "anchor" mean?
As a noun, "anchor" means: A tool used to moor a vessel to the bottom of a sea or river to resist movement.
What words are commonly confused with "anchor"?
"anchor" is commonly confused with "author", "archer", "anyhow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "anchor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anchor" is /ˈæŋ.kə/. 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 "anchor"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk-der.? Ancient Greek ᾰ̓́γκῡρᾰ (ắnkūră)bor.? Latin ancorabor. Proto-Germanic *ankurô Proto-West Germanic *ankurō Old English ancor Middle English anker English anchor From Middle English anker, from Old Engl... 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 "anchor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Angela#6,863varied#6,854bounce#6,873tribes#6,850

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

tribal9 variantsbullets9 variantschairs9 variantsshipped9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list