anxious

/ˈæŋ(k)ʃəs/

//ˈæŋ(k)ʃəs// adj

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

"anxious" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anxious” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,112. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,112
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Nervous and worried.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anxious · anxious · English

anxious · rank #6,112 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,112
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH advise

Nearest frequency peer: advise (-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 “anxious”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “anxious” 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).

anxious vs anxiously
78% similar
anxious vs animus
71% similar

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

Key facts for anxious
PropertyValue
Headwordanxious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈæŋ(k)ʃəs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#6,112
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “anxious”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).anxiouslands 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 “advise” (#6,111), “watches” (#6,110), “bee” (#6,114). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “anxious” is #6,112. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around anxious (IPA /ˈæŋ(k)ʃəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,112 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for anxious, with forms such as "anixous", "annxious", and "anxiosu". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "anxiously", "animus", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin anxius, from angō (“to cause pain, choke”); akin to Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to choke”). See anger; angst. The correct English form is anxious, spelled A-N-X-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nervous and worried.
  2. 2
    Having a feeling of anxiety or disquietude; extremely concerned, especially about something that will happen in the future or that is unknown.
  3. 3
    Accompanied with, or causing, anxiety; worrying.
  4. 4
    Earnestly desirous.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She was anxious to hear how her test results were.
  2. I could tell she was anxious as she was biting her nails.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin anxius, from angō (“to cause pain, choke”); akin to Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to choke”). See anger; angst.

Synonyms

uneasyworrisomeunquietconcernedfraughtangstfuldisturbedrestlesssolicitousworrisomerestlessuneasyworrisomeunquietnerve-wrackingrestlesssolicitous

This word in other languages

incómodo(Español)inquiet(Français)ängstlich(Deutsch)ansioso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anixous
  • annxious
  • anxiosu
  • anxiouss
  • anxiuos
  • anxoius
  • anxxious
  • axnious
  • naxious

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of anxious - 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.

anixous2annxious1anxiosu2anxiouss1anxiuos2anxoius2anxxious1axnious2
Edit distance from "anxious"

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 "anxious"?
"anxious" is spelled A-N-X-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæŋ(k)ʃəs/.
What does "anxious" mean?
As an adjective, "anxious" means: Nervous and worried.
What words are commonly confused with "anxious"?
"anxious" is commonly confused with "anxiously", "animus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "anxious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anxious" is /ˈæŋ(k)ʃəs/. 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 "anxious"?
Borrowed from Latin anxius, from angō (“to cause pain, choke”); akin to Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to choke”). See anger; angst. 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 "anxious", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

watches#6,110bombing#6,115darling#6,125publish#6,088

Similar misspelling depth

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

washed9 variantsCarlos9 variantsrental9 variantspurely9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list