annual

/ˈæn.ju.əl/

//ˈæn.ju.əl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“annual” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,211. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,211
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Happening once every year.

Corpus desk

Index EN-annual · annual · English

annual · rank #1,211 · 6 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,211
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH workers

Nearest frequency peer: workers (-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 “annual”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “annual” 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).

annual vs annum
67% similar
annual vs annular
71% similar
annual vs annually
75% similar

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

Key facts for annual
PropertyValue
Headwordannual
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈæn.ju.əl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,211
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “annual”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).annuallands 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 “workers” (#1,210), “anymore” (#1,212), “unit” (#1,209). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “annual” is #1,211. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around annual (IPA /ˈæn.ju.əl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,211 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for annual, with forms such as "annaul", "annuall", and "annula". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "annum", "annular", "annually", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested around 1382, borrowed from Late Latin annuālem, annuālis, related to Latin annālis, adjective form of annus (“year”). Used to categorize plants since 1710. The correct English form is annual, spelled A-N-N-U-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Happening once every year.
  2. 2
    Of, for, or relating to a whole year, often as a recurring cycle; determined or reckoned by the year; accumulating in the course of a year; performed, executed, or completed over the course of a year. See also circannual.
  3. 3
    Having a life cycle that is completed in only one growing season; e.g. beans, corn, marigold. See Annual plant in Wikipedia. Compare biennial, perennial.
  4. 4
    Living or lasting just one season or year, as certain insects or insect colonies.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. an annual general meeting; an annual publication
  2. Since the mid-1980s, when Indonesia first began to clear its bountiful forests on an industrial scale in favour of lucrative palm-oil plantations, “haze” has become an almost annual occurrence in South-East Asia. The cheapest way to clear logged woodland is to burn it, producing an acrid cloud of foul white smoke that, carried by the wind, can cover hundr…

Etymology

First attested around 1382, borrowed from Late Latin annuālem, annuālis, related to Latin annālis, adjective form of annus (“year”). Used to categorize plants since 1710.

Synonyms

yearly

This word in other languages

anual(Español)annuel(Français)jährlich(Deutsch)anual(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • annaul
  • annuall
  • annula
  • anual
  • anunal
  • nanual

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

annaul2annuall1annula2anual1anunal2nanual2
Edit distance from "annual"

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 "annual"?
"annual" is spelled A-N-N-U-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæn.ju.əl/.
What does "annual" mean?
As an adjective, "annual" means: Happening once every year.
What words are commonly confused with "annual"?
"annual" is commonly confused with "annum", "annular", "annually". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "annual"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "annual" is /ˈæn.ju.əl/. 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 "annual"?
First attested around 1382, borrowed from Late Latin annuālem, annuālis, related to Latin annālis, adjective form of annus (“year”). Used to categorize plants since 1710. 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 "annual", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

battle#1,214sister#1,207degree#1,217France#1,222

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

brain6 variantsplus6 variantsfloor6 variantshurt6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list