augur

/ˈɔː.ɡə/

//ˈɔː.ɡə// noun

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

"augur" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“augur” is uncommon English (frequency #54,024 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,024
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A diviner who foretells events by the behaviour of birds or other animals, or by signs derived from celestial phenomena, or unusual occurrences.

Corpus desk

Index EN-augur · augur · English

augur · rank #54,024 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,024
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH atheistic

Nearest frequency peer: atheistic (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “augur”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “augur” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for augur
PropertyValue
Headwordaugur
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɔː.ɡə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#54,024
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “augur” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).augurfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “atheistic” (#54,022), “autocrat” (#54,026), “ASN” (#54,021). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “augur” is #54,024. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

augur is uncommon English at frequency #54,024 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɔː.ɡə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for augur, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin augur, of uncertain origin; akin to augurō (“interpret omens”). The correct English form is augur, spelled A-U-G-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A diviner who foretells events by the behaviour of birds or other animals, or by signs derived from celestial phenomena, or unusual occurrences.
  2. 2
    An official who interpreted omens before the start of public events.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Augur of ill, whoſe tongue was never found / Without a prieſtly curſe, or boding ſound; [...]
  2. It was an ancient tradition, that when the Capitol was founded by one of the Roman kings, the god Terminus (who presided over boundaries, and was represented, according to the fashion of that age, by a large stone) alone, among all the inferior deities, refused to yield his place to Jupiter himself. A favorable inference was drawn from his obstinacy, whic…

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin augur, of uncertain origin; akin to augurō (“interpret omens”).

This word in other languages

augur(Español)augure(Français)Augur(Deutsch)

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 "augur"?
"augur" is spelled A-U-G-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɔː.ɡə/.
What does "augur" mean?
As a noun, "augur" means: A diviner who foretells events by the behaviour of birds or other animals, or by signs derived from celestial phenomena, or unusual occurrences.
How do you pronounce "augur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "augur" is /ˈɔː.ɡə/. 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 "augur"?
Borrowed from Latin augur, of uncertain origin; akin to augurō (“interpret omens”). 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 "augur", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ashen#54,020Azeri#54,028Azusa#54,029balsa#54,032

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list