aunt

/ɑːnt/

//ɑːnt// noun

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

"aunt" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“aunt” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,478 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,478
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

aunt vs aux
50% similar
aunt vs Ayn
25% similar
aunt vs auto
50% similar

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

Key facts for aunt
PropertyValue
Headwordaunt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɑːnt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#5,478
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “aunt” 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). aunt lands here:

#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 aunt is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɑːnt/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,478 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for aunt, with forms such as "anut", "aunnt", and "auntt". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "aux", "Ayn", "auto", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English aunte, from Anglo-Norman aunte, from Old French ante, from Latin amita (“father's sister”). Displaced native Middle English modrie (“aunt”) (from Old English mōdriġe (“maternal aunt”); compare Old English faþu, faþe (“paternal aunt”)). T… The correct English form is aunt, spelled A-U-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent.
  2. 2
    The female cousin or cousin-in-law of one’s parent.
  3. 3
    A woman of an older generation than oneself, especially a friend of one's parents, by means of fictive kin.
  4. 4
    Any elderly woman.
  5. 5
    A procuress or bawd.

Etymology

From Middle English aunte, from Anglo-Norman aunte, from Old French ante, from Latin amita (“father's sister”). Displaced native Middle English modrie (“aunt”) (from Old English mōdriġe (“maternal aunt”); compare Old English faþu, faþe (“paternal aunt”)). The digraph ⟨au⟩ representing /æ ~ ɑː/ instead of the expected /ɔː/ is irregular, and has not been conclusively explained (compare launch, which contains /ɑː/ in some UK dialects).

Synonyms

auntieauntyauntyjinaunt

Antonyms

uncleniecenephew

This word in other languages

tía(Español)tante(Français)Tante(Deutsch)tia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: anut,aunnt,auntt,autn,uant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

anut2aunnt1auntt1autn2uant2
Edit distance from "aunt"

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 "aunt"?
"aunt" is spelled A-U-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɑːnt/.
What does "aunt" mean?
As a noun, "aunt" means: The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent.
What words are commonly confused with "aunt"?
"aunt" is commonly confused with "aux", "Ayn", "auto". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "aunt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aunt" is /ɑːnt/. 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 "aunt"?
From Middle English aunte, from Anglo-Norman aunte, from Old French ante, from Latin amita (“father's sister”). Displaced native Middle English modrie (“aunt”) (from Old English mōdriġe (“maternal aunt”); compare Old English faþu, faþe (“paternal ... 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.

Using “aunt”

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

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list