attempt

/əˈtɛmpt/

//əˈtɛmpt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“attempt” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,476. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,476
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-attempt · attempt · English

attempt · rank #1,476 · 9 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,476
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH appear

Nearest frequency peer: appear (-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 “attempt”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “attempt” 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).

attempt vs attest
71% similar
attempt vs attempts
88% similar
attempt vs attempted
78% similar

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

Key facts for attempt
PropertyValue
Headwordattempt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈtɛmpt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,476
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “attempt”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “appear” (#1,475), “broke” (#1,477), “actual” (#1,474). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “attempt” is #1,476. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around attempt (IPA /əˈtɛmpt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,476 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for attempt, with forms such as "atempt", "atetmpt", and "attemmpt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "attest", "attempts", "attempted", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Latin temptō Latin attemptōder. Old French atempterbor. Middle English attempten English attempt Late 14th century, as Middle English attempten, from Old French atempter, … The correct English form is attempt, spelled A-T-T-E-M-P-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To try.
  2. 2
    To try to move, by entreaty, by afflictions, or by temptations; to tempt.
  3. 3
    To try to win, subdue, or overcome.
  4. 4
    To attack; to make an effort or attack upon; to try to take by force.
  5. 5
    To make a substantial but unsuccessful effort (to commit a crime).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to attempt an escape from prison
  2. I attempted to sing, but my throat was too hoarse.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Latin temptō Latin attemptōder. Old French atempterbor. Middle English attempten English attempt Late 14th century, as Middle English attempten, from Old French atempter, from Latin attemptō (“to try, solicit”), from ad- (“to”) + temptō; see tempt. The noun is from the 1530s, the sense "an assault on somebody's life, assassination attempt" (French attentat) is from 1580.

Synonyms

take a stab attake a run atassayessayseek

This word in other languages

intentar(Español)tenter(Français)versuchen(Deutsch)provar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atempt
  • atetmpt
  • attemmpt
  • attemppt
  • attemptt
  • attemtp
  • attepmt
  • attmept
  • tatempt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

atempt1atetmpt2attemmpt1attemppt1attemptt1attemtp2attepmt2attmept2
Edit distance from "attempt"

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 "attempt"?
"attempt" is spelled A-T-T-E-M-P-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈtɛmpt/.
What does "attempt" mean?
As a verb, "attempt" means: To try.
What words are commonly confused with "attempt"?
"attempt" is commonly confused with "attest", "attempts", "attempted". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "attempt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "attempt" is /əˈtɛmpt/. 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 "attempt"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Latin temptō Latin attemptōder. Old French atempterbor. Middle English attempten English attempt Late 14th century, as Middle English attempten, from Old French ... 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 "attempt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

channel#1,478walking#1,472sitting#1,469finding#1,484

Similar misspelling depth

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

showed9 variantsputting9 variantslosing9 variantsmurder9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list