answer
/ˈɑːn.sə/
"answer" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“answer” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #687 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #687
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 10
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A response or reply; something said or done in reaction to a statement or question.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | answer |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɑːn.sə/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #687 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 10 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “answer” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for answer is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɑːn.sə/. Corpus data places it at rank #687 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for answer, with forms such as "annswer", "ansewr", and "ansswer". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "Asher", "Anwar", "aster", 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 *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂éntsder. Proto-Germanic *anda- Proto-Indo-European *swer-der. Proto-Germanic *swarō Proto-Germanic *andaswarō Proto-West Germanic *andaswaru Old English andswaru Middl… The correct English form is answer, spelled A-N-S-W-E-R.
Definition
- 1A response or reply; something said or done in reaction to a statement or question.
- 2A solution to a problem.
- 3Someone or something that fills a similar role or position.
- 4A document filed in response to a complaint, responding to each point raised in the complaint and raising counterpoints.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂éntsder. Proto-Germanic *anda- Proto-Indo-European *swer-der. Proto-Germanic *swarō Proto-Germanic *andaswarō Proto-West Germanic *andaswaru Old English andswaru Middle English answere English answer From Middle English answere, andsware, from Old English andswaru (“answer”), from and- (“against”) + swaru (“affirmation”), (from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- (“front, forehead”) and Old English swerian (“to swear”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer-), suggesting an original meaning of "a sworn statement rebutting a charge". The cognates suggest the existence of Proto-Germanic *andaswarō (“a reply to a question”). Cognate with Old Frisian ondser (“answer”), Old Saxon andswōr (“answer”), Danish and Swedish ansvar (“liability, responsibility, answer”), Icelandic andsvar (“answer, response”). Compare also Old English andwyrde (“answer”) (cognate to Dutch antwoord, German Antwort), Old English andcwiss (“reply”), German Schwur (“oath, vow”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: annswer,ansewr,ansswer,answerr,answre,answwer,anwser,asnwer,naswer
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of answer - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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
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Using “answer”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-N-S-W-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɑːn.sə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Asher” - see the side-by-side comparison. answer vs Asher
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.