anecdote

/ˈæn.ɪkˌdəʊt/

//ˈæn.ɪkˌdəʊt// noun

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

"anecdote" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anecdote” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,285. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,285
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A short account of a real incident or person, often humorous or interesting.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anecdote · anecdote · English

anecdote · rank #22,285 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,285
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Andhra

Nearest frequency peer: Andhra (-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 “anecdote”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “anecdote” 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).

anecdote vs antidote
75% similar
anecdote vs anecdotes
89% similar
anecdote vs anecdotal
78% similar

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

Key facts for anecdote
PropertyValue
Headwordanecdote
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæn.ɪkˌdəʊt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#22,285
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “anecdote”

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).anecdotelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Andhra” (#22,284), “anew” (#22,286), “ani” (#22,287). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “anecdote” is #22,285. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around anecdote (IPA /ˈæn.ɪkˌdəʊt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,285 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for anecdote, with forms such as "aencdote", "ancedote", and "aneccdote". 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, "antidote", "anecdotes", "anecdotal", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Late 17ᵗʰ c., from French anecdote, from Ancient Greek ἀνέκδοτος (anékdotos, “accounts unpublished”), from ἀν- (an-, “not, un-”) + ἔκδοτος (ékdotos, “published”), from ἐκδίδωμι (ekdídōmi, “I publish”), from ἐκ- (ek-, “out”) + δίδωμι (dídōmi, “I give”). Virt… The correct English form is anecdote, spelled A-N-E-C-D-O-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A short account of a real incident or person, often humorous or interesting.
  2. 2
    An account which supports an argument, but which is not supported by scientific or statistical analysis.
  3. 3
    A previously untold secret account of an incident.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. tell an anecdote
  2. relate a short anecdote

Etymology

Late 17ᵗʰ c., from French anecdote, from Ancient Greek ἀνέκδοτος (anékdotos, “accounts unpublished”), from ἀν- (an-, “not, un-”) + ἔκδοτος (ékdotos, “published”), from ἐκδίδωμι (ekdídōmi, “I publish”), from ἐκ- (ek-, “out”) + δίδωμι (dídōmi, “I give”). Virtually identical cognates in other European languages – French anecdote, German Anekdote, Spanish anécdota, among others.

This word in other languages

anécdota(Español)anecdote(Français)Anekdote(Deutsch)anedota(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aencdote
  • ancedote
  • aneccdote
  • anecddote
  • anecdoet
  • anecdotte
  • anecdtoe
  • anecodte
  • anedcote
  • annecdote
  • naecdote

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aencdote2ancedote2aneccdote1anecddote1anecdoet2anecdotte1anecdtoe2anecodte2
Edit distance from "anecdote"

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 "anecdote"?
"anecdote" is spelled A-N-E-C-D-O-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæn.ɪkˌdəʊt/.
What does "anecdote" mean?
As a noun, "anecdote" means: A short account of a real incident or person, often humorous or interesting.
What words are commonly confused with "anecdote"?
"anecdote" is commonly confused with "antidote", "anecdotes", "anecdotal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "anecdote"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anecdote" is /ˈæn.ɪkˌdəʊt/. 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 "anecdote"?
Late 17ᵗʰ c., from French anecdote, from Ancient Greek ἀνέκδοτος (anékdotos, “accounts unpublished”), from ἀν- (an-, “not, un-”) + ἔκδοτος (ékdotos, “published”), from ἐκδίδωμι (ekdídōmi, “I publish”), from ἐκ- (ek-, “out”) + δίδωμι (dídōmi, “I gi... 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 "anecdote", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

aptitude#22,291agrarian#22,278backside#22,296blinding#22,301

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Antwerp11 variantsblocker11 variantstrashed11 variantsChanning11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list