ask

/ɑːsk/

//ɑːsk// verb

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

"ask" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ask” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #453) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#453
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To request or petition.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ask · ask · English

ask · rank #453 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #453
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH woman

Nearest frequency peer: woman (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “ask”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “ask” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

ask vs at
33% similar
ask vs aw
33% similar
ask vs AU
0% similar

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

Key facts for ask
PropertyValue
Headwordask
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɑːsk/
Letters3
Frequency rank#453
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ask” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).asklands 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 “woman” (#452), “community” (#454), “wait” (#451). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for ask is neighbouring look-alikes ("at", "aw", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /ɑːsk/. Frequency #453 among 3,931 “A” headwords. 10 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

No misspelling variants are generated for ask in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "at", "aw", "AU", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eys- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *h₂is-sḱé-ti Proto-Germanic *iskaną Proto-Germanic *aiskaz Proto-West Germanic *aisk Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Pro… The correct English form is ask, spelled A-S-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To request or petition.
  2. 2
    To request or petition.
  3. 3
    To request or petition.
  4. 4
    To request or petition.
  5. 5
    To request or petition.
  6. 6
    To put forward (a question) to be answered.
  7. 7
    To require, demand, claim, or expect, whether by way of remuneration or return, or as a matter of necessity.
  8. 8
    To invite.
  9. 9
    To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.
  10. 10
    To take (a person's situation) as an example.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I asked her age.
  2. I didn't know the answer so I asked.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eys- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *h₂is-sḱé-ti Proto-Germanic *iskaną Proto-Germanic *aiskaz Proto-West Germanic *aisk Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-West Germanic *-ōn Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn Old English āscian Middle English asken English ask From Middle English asken, axen, from Old English āscian, from Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eys- (“to wish; request”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian aaskje (“to ask, demand, require”), West Frisian easkje (“to ask, demand, require”), Dutch eisen (“to demand, require”), German heischen (“to ask, request, implore”), Russian иска́ть (iskátʹ), Sanskrit इच्छति (iccháti) (whence Hindi ईछना (īchnā).

This word in other languages

preguntar(Español)demander(Français)fragen(Deutsch)perguntar(Português)

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 "ask"?
"ask" is spelled A-S-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ɑːsk/.
What does "ask" mean?
As a verb, "ask" means: To request or petition.
What words are commonly confused with "ask"?
"ask" is commonly confused with "at", "aw", "AU". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ask"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ask" is /ɑːsk/. 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 "ask"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eys- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *h₂is-sḱé-ti Proto-Germanic *iskaną Proto-Germanic *aiskaz Proto-West Germanic *aisk Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European ... 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 "ask", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

saw#459due#442low#468I'd#433

What to do next

You've looked up "ask". Here's where to go from here.

  • "ask" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "at". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #453 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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