attorney

/əˈtɜː(ɹ)ni/

//əˈtɜː(ɹ)ni// noun

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

"attorney" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“attorney” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,060. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,060
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A lawyer; one who advises or represents others in legal matters as a profession.

Corpus desk

Index EN-attorney · attorney · English

attorney · rank #2,060 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,060
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Asian

Nearest frequency peer: Asian (-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 “attorney”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “attorney” 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
Key facts for attorney
PropertyValue
Headwordattorney
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈtɜː(ɹ)ni/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,060
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “attorney”

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).attorneylands 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 “Asian” (#2,059), “banks” (#2,061), “appearance” (#2,058). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “attorney” is #2,060. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around attorney (IPA /əˈtɜː(ɹ)ni/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,060 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for attorney, with forms such as "atorney", "atotrney", and "attonrey". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English attourne, from Old French atorné, past participle of atorner, atourner, aturner (“to attorn”), in the sense of "one appointed or constituted". The correct English form is attorney, spelled A-T-T-O-R-N-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lawyer; one who advises or represents others in legal matters as a profession.
  2. 2
    An agent or representative authorized to act on someone else's behalf in accordance with that person's instructions.
  3. 3
    One such who practised in the courts of the common law.
  4. 4
    A solicitor.
  5. 5
    An honorific given to lawyers and notaries public, or those holders by profession who also do other jobs. Usually capitalized or abbreviated as Atty.
  6. 6
    Clusia spp.
  7. 7
    A prosecutor.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. If those attempts are unsuccessful, the attorney requesting the interrogatories may file a motion for sanctions with the court. The sanctions range from attorney fees to prohibiting the nonanswering party from presenting or defending claims.
  2. “Conflicting out” attorneys is the way a husband will make sure his wife doesn't hire any of the most aggressive lawyers in town.

Etymology

From Middle English attourne, from Old French atorné, past participle of atorner, atourner, aturner (“to attorn”), in the sense of "one appointed or constituted".

This word in other languages

abogado(Español)juriste(Français)Rechtsanwalt(Deutsch)advogado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atorney
  • atotrney
  • attonrey
  • attoreny
  • attorneyy
  • attornney
  • attornye
  • attorrney
  • attroney
  • tatorney

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

atorney1atotrney2attonrey2attoreny2attorneyy1attornney1attornye2attorrney1
Edit distance from "attorney"

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 "attorney"?
"attorney" is spelled A-T-T-O-R-N-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈtɜː(ɹ)ni/.
What does "attorney" mean?
As a noun, "attorney" means: A lawyer; one who advises or represents others in legal matters as a profession.
What are common misspellings of "attorney"?
Common misspellings include "atorney", "atotrney", "attonrey", "attoreny", "attorneyy". The correct spelling is "attorney".
How do you pronounce "attorney"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "attorney" is /əˈtɜː(ɹ)ni/. 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 "attorney"?
From Middle English attourne, from Old French atorné, past participle of atorner, atourner, aturner (“to attorn”), in the sense of "one appointed or constituted". 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 "attorney", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

behavior#2,062brothers#2,065soldiers#2,054creating#2,068

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

women's10 variantsminimum10 variantssupreme10 variantsyounger10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list