avert

/əˈvɝt/

//əˈvɝt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“avert” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,090. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,090
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To turn aside or away.

Corpus desk

Index EN-avert · avert · English

avert · rank #24,090 · 7 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,090
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH autobiographi…

Nearest frequency peer: autobiographical (-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 “avert”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “avert” 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).

avert vs Ayer
40% similar
avert vs Avery
60% similar
avert vs averted
71% similar

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

Key facts for avert
PropertyValue
Headwordavert
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈvɝt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#24,090
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “avert”

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).avertlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “autobiographical” (#24,089), “avian” (#24,091), “atrocious” (#24,088). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “avert” is #24,090. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around avert (IPA /əˈvɝt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #24,090 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for avert, with forms such as "aevrt", "averrt", and "avertt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 19 confusable-pair relationships, "Ayer", "Avery", "averted", 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 averten, adverten, from Old French avertir (“turn, direct, avert; turn the attention, make aware”), from Latin āvertere, from ad + vertō (“to turn”). The correct English form is avert, spelled A-V-E-R-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To turn aside or away.
  2. 2
    To ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of.
  3. 3
    To turn away.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I averted my eyes while my friend typed in her password.
  2. When atheists and profane persons do hear of so many discordant and contrary opinions in religion, it doth avert them from the church.

Etymology

From Middle English averten, adverten, from Old French avertir (“turn, direct, avert; turn the attention, make aware”), from Latin āvertere, from ad + vertō (“to turn”).

Synonyms

hinder

This word in other languages

apartar(Español)détourner(Français)abwenden(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aevrt
  • averrt
  • avertt
  • avetr
  • avret
  • avvert
  • vaert

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aevrt2averrt1avertt1avetr2avret2avvert1vaert2
Edit distance from "avert"

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 "avert"?
"avert" is spelled A-V-E-R-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈvɝt/.
What does "avert" mean?
As a verb, "avert" means: To turn aside or away.
What words are commonly confused with "avert"?
"avert" is commonly confused with "Ayer", "Avery", "averted". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "avert"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "avert" is /əˈvɝt/. 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 "avert"?
From Middle English averten, adverten, from Old French avertir (“turn, direct, avert; turn the attention, make aware”), from Latin āvertere, from ad + vertō (“to turn”). 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 "avert", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

avian#24,091Artie#24,086bayou#24,094Andes#24,080

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Adnan7 variantsactin7 variantschime7 variantsZimmer7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list