ask

Name: ask, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ɑːsk/

//ɑːsk// verb

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“ask” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #453 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#453
frequency rank, English: 3
letters: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To request or petition.

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
Property	Value
Headword	ask
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/ɑːsk/
Letters	3
Frequency rank	#453
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ask” 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). ask lands here:

#453

#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 ask is 3 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɑːsk/. Corpus data places it at rank #453 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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

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"?

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 “ask”

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

The one correct English spelling is A-S-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ɑːsk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “at” - see the side-by-side comparison. ask vs at
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.