appoint

/əˈpɔɪnt/

//əˈpɔɪnt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“appoint” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,163. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,163
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To set, fix or determine (a time or place for something such as a meeting, or the meeting itself) by authority or agreement.

Corpus desk

Index EN-appoint · appoint · English

appoint · rank #11,163 · 8 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,163
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH apprentice

Nearest frequency peer: apprentice (+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 “appoint”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “appoint” 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).

appoint vs appointed
78% similar
appoint vs appointee
78% similar

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

Key facts for appoint
PropertyValue
Headwordappoint
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈpɔɪnt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#11,163
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “appoint”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “apprentice” (#11,164), “alphabet” (#11,161), “Auckland” (#11,165). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “appoint” is #11,163. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around appoint (IPA /əˈpɔɪnt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #11,163 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for appoint, with forms such as "apoint", "apopint", and "appiont". 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, "appointed", "appointee", 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 apointen, borrowed from Old French apointier (“to prepare, arrange, lean, place”) (French appointer (“to give a salary, refer a cause”)), from Late Latin appunctō (“to bring back to the point, restore, to fix the point in a controversy, … The correct English form is appoint, spelled A-P-P-O-I-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To set, fix or determine (a time or place for something such as a meeting, or the meeting itself) by authority or agreement.
  2. 2
    To name (someone to a post or role).
  3. 3
    To furnish or equip (a place) completely; to provide with all the equipment or furnishings necessary; to fit out.
  4. 4
    To equip (someone) with (something); to assign (someone) authoritatively (some equipment).
  5. 5
    To fix the disposition of (property) by designating someone to take use of (it).
  6. 6
    To fix with power or firmness by decree or command; to ordain or establish.
  7. 7
    To resolve; to determine; to ordain.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His Royal Highness called to pay his respects to her Majesty; but, from the unexpected nature of his visit, her Majesty was not in a state then to receive him; but soon after sent a letter to Prince Leopold, to appoint one o'clock this day for an interview.
  2. We have to wait until they're ready to receive us, and make sure we turn up at the appointed time.

Etymology

From Middle English apointen, borrowed from Old French apointier (“to prepare, arrange, lean, place”) (French appointer (“to give a salary, refer a cause”)), from Late Latin appunctō (“to bring back to the point, restore, to fix the point in a controversy, or the points in an agreement”); Latin ad + punctum (“a point”). See point.

Synonyms

accreditallotassignchoosecommanddecidedecreedelegatedesignatedirectelectenjoinemployequipfurnishinstallnominateordainsettletap

Antonyms

declinedisallowdismissfireignoreneglectrefuserejectrevoketerminateunfurnish

This word in other languages

designar(Español)fixer(Français)bestimmen(Deutsch)prover(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apoint
  • apopint
  • appiont
  • appoinnt
  • appointt
  • appoitn
  • apponit
  • papoint

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of appoint - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

apoint1apopint2appiont2appoinnt1appointt1appoitn2apponit2papoint2
Edit distance from "appoint"

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 "appoint"?
"appoint" is spelled A-P-P-O-I-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈpɔɪnt/.
What does "appoint" mean?
As a verb, "appoint" means: To set, fix or determine (a time or place for something such as a meeting, or the meeting itself) by authority or agreement.
What words are commonly confused with "appoint"?
"appoint" is commonly confused with "appointed", "appointee". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "appoint"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "appoint" is /əˈpɔɪnt/. 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 "appoint"?
From Middle English apointen, borrowed from Old French apointier (“to prepare, arrange, lean, place”) (French appointer (“to give a salary, refer a cause”)), from Late Latin appunctō (“to bring back to the point, restore, to fix the point in a con... 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 "appoint", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

bananas#11,166winding#11,155capsule#11,176captive#11,177

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

beware8 variantsBieber8 variantsbikini8 variantstract8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list