anvil

/ˈæn.vəl/

//ˈæn.vəl// noun

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

"anvil" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anvil” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #27,361 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#27,361
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A heavy iron block used in the blacksmithing trade as a surface upon which metal can be struck and shaped.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

anvil vs Avi
40% similar
anvil vs avid
60% similar
anvil vs avis
60% similar

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

Key facts for anvil
PropertyValue
Headwordanvil
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæn.vəl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#27,361
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “anvil” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). anvil lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for anvil is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈæn.vəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #27,361 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for anvil, with forms such as "anivl", "annvil", and "anvill". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "Avi", "avid", "avis", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English anfilt, anvelt, anfelt, from late Old English anfilt, anfilte, anfealt, from earlier onfilti (“anvil”), from Proto-West Germanic *anafalt (compare Middle Dutch anvilte, Low German Anfilts, Anefilt, Old High German anafalz), compound of *… The correct English form is anvil, spelled A-N-V-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A heavy iron block used in the blacksmithing trade as a surface upon which metal can be struck and shaped.
  2. 2
    The incus bone in the middle ear.
  3. 3
    A stone or other hard surface used by a bird for breaking the shells of snails.
  4. 4
    The non-moving surface of a micrometer against which the item to be measured is placed.
  5. 5
    A horizontal-topped mass of cloud, shaped like a blacksmith's anvil, that forms before a thunderstorm.

Etymology

From Middle English anfilt, anvelt, anfelt, from late Old English anfilt, anfilte, anfealt, from earlier onfilti (“anvil”), from Proto-West Germanic *anafalt (compare Middle Dutch anvilte, Low German Anfilts, Anefilt, Old High German anafalz), compound of *ana (“on”) + *falt (“beaten”) (compare German falzen (“to groove, fold, welt”), Swedish dialectal filta (“to beat”)), from Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂-t- (“shaken, beaten”) (compare Middle Irish lethar (“leather”), Latin pellō (“to beat, strike”), Ancient Greek πάλλω (pállō, “to toss, brandish”)), enlargement of Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- (“to stir, move”). More at felon.

Synonyms

stithy

This word in other languages

yunque(Español)enclume(Français)Amboss(Deutsch)bigorna(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: anivl,annvil,anvill,anvli,anvvil,avnil,navil

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

anivl2annvil1anvill1anvli2anvvil1avnil2navil2
Edit distance from "anvil"

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 "anvil"?
"anvil" is spelled A-N-V-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæn.vəl/.
What does "anvil" mean?
As a noun, "anvil" means: A heavy iron block used in the blacksmithing trade as a surface upon which metal can be struck and shaped.
What words are commonly confused with "anvil"?
"anvil" is commonly confused with "Avi", "avid", "avis". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "anvil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anvil" is /ˈæn.vəl/. 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 "anvil"?
From Middle English anfilt, anvelt, anfelt, from late Old English anfilt, anfilte, anfealt, from earlier onfilti (“anvil”), from Proto-West Germanic *anafalt (compare Middle Dutch anvilte, Low German Anfilts, Anefilt, Old High German anafalz), com... 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.

Using “anvil”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-N-V-I-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈæn.vəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Avi” - see the side-by-side comparison. anvil vs Avi
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list