average

/ˈæv.(ə.)ɹɪd͡ʒ/

//ˈæv.(ə.)ɹɪd͡ʒ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“average” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #704. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#704
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any measure of central tendency, especially any mean, the median, or the mode.

Corpus desk

Index EN-average · average · English

average · rank #704 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #704
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH alone

Nearest frequency peer: alone (-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 “average”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “average” 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).

average vs averse
71% similar
average vs avenge
71% similar

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

Key facts for average
PropertyValue
Headwordaverage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæv.(ə.)ɹɪd͡ʒ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#704
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “average”

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).averagelands 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 “alone” (#703), “bank” (#705), “AL” (#702). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “average” is #704. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around average (IPA /ˈæv.(ə.)ɹɪd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #704 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for average, with forms such as "aevrage", "avearge", and "averaeg". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "averse", "avenge", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Arabic عَوَار (ʕawār) Arabic ـِيّ (-iyy) Proto-Afroasiatic *-t Proto-Semitic *-at- Arabic ـَة (-a) Arabic ـِيَّة (-iyya) Arabic عَوَارِيَّة (ʕawāriyya)? Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- Proto-Italic *haβēō Latin habeō Old Italian avere? Old Ital… The correct English form is average, spelled A-V-E-R-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any measure of central tendency, especially any mean, the median, or the mode.
  2. 2
    Any measure of central tendency, especially any mean, the median, or the mode.
  3. 3
    Financial loss due to damage to transported goods; compensation for damage or loss.
  4. 4
    Financial loss due to damage to transported goods; compensation for damage or loss.
  5. 5
    Financial loss due to damage to transported goods; compensation for damage or loss.
  6. 6
    An indication of a player's ability calculated from his scoring record, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. You need to show some averages in an executive summary, show some samples of raw data in the document body, and move the full raw data to an appendix.
  2. In conclusion, it may savour of anticlimax to mention that from May 22 the famous "Sud Express," over the same route, has been covering the 359.7 miles from Paris Austerlitz to Bordeaux in 4 hr. 59 min. daily, at a start-to-stop average of 72.2 m.p.h., and that the northbound train has been taking 5 hr. 7 min. for an average of 70.3.

Etymology

Etymology tree Arabic عَوَار (ʕawār) Arabic ـِيّ (-iyy) Proto-Afroasiatic *-t Proto-Semitic *-at- Arabic ـَة (-a) Arabic ـِيَّة (-iyya) Arabic عَوَارِيَّة (ʕawāriyya)? Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- Proto-Italic *haβēō Latin habeō Old Italian avere? Old Italian avariabor. Old French avarie Middle French avarie Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Italic *-kos Latin -cus Latin -icus Latin -āticus Latin -āticum Old French -agebor. Middle English -age English -age English average Not entirely certain. The oldest meaning in English is “customs duty”. Borrowed from Middle French avarie (“damage to ship or cargo”), from Old French avarie, from Old Italian avaria where it is first attested in the 12th century in the context of Mediterranean trade. From there most sources trace it to Arabic عَوَارِيَّة (ʕawāriyya, “damaged goods”), from عَوَار (ʕawār, “fault, blemish, defect, flaw”), from عَوِرَ (ʕawira, “to lose an eye”), but the OED gives it a Romance derivation from Italian avere (“property, goods”) or the like. The English suffix -age was added in analogy to words like damage.

This word in other languages

promedio(Español)moyenne(Français)Durchschnitt(Deutsch)média(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aevrage
  • avearge
  • averaeg
  • averagge
  • avergae
  • averrage
  • avreage
  • avverage
  • vaerage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of average - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aevrage2avearge2averaeg2averagge1avergae2averrage1avreage2avverage1
Edit distance from "average"

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 "average"?
"average" is spelled A-V-E-R-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæv.(ə.)ɹɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "average" mean?
As a noun, "average" means: Any measure of central tendency, especially any mean, the median, or the mode.
What words are commonly confused with "average"?
"average" is commonly confused with "averse", "avenge". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "average"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "average" is /ˈæv.(ə.)ɹɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "average"?
Etymology tree Arabic عَوَار (ʕawār) Arabic ـِيّ (-iyy) Proto-Afroasiatic *-t Proto-Semitic *-at- Arabic ـَة (-a) Arabic ـِيَّة (-iyya) Arabic عَوَارِيَّة (ʕawāriyya)? Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- Proto-Italic *haβēō Latin habeō Old Italian avere... 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 "average", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

brought#706certain#707society#700medical#714

Similar misspelling depth

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

policy9 variantslonger9 variantsfinally9 variantsdesign9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list