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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,163 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#11,163
frequency rank, English
7
letters
8
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To set, fix or determine (a time or place for something such as a meeting, or the meeting itself) by authority or agreement.

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)

Where “appoint” 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). appoint 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 appoint is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈpɔɪnt/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,163 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “appoint”

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

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