avoid

/əˈvɔɪd/

//əˈvɔɪd// verb

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

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

The verdict

“avoid” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,416. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,416
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To try not to meet or communicate with (a person); to shun.

Corpus desk

Index EN-avoid · avoid · English

avoid · rank #1,416 · 6 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,416
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH agency

Nearest frequency peer: agency (-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 “avoid”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “avoid” 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).

avoid vs Avon
40% similar
avoid vs Avril
40% similar
avoid vs avoids
83% similar

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

Key facts for avoid
PropertyValue
Headwordavoid
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈvɔɪd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,416
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “avoid”

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).avoidlands 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 “agency” (#1,415), “camera” (#1,417), “William” (#1,414). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “avoid” is #1,416. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around avoid (IPA /əˈvɔɪd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,416 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for avoid, with forms such as "aovid", "aviod", and "avodi". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "Avon", "Avril", "avoids", 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 avoiden, from Anglo-Norman avoider, Old French esvuidier (“to empty out”), from es- + vuidier, from Vulgar Latin *vocitāre < Vulgar Latin *vocitum, ultimately related to Latin vacuus. Displaced native Old English forbūgan (literally “to … The correct English form is avoid, spelled A-V-O-I-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To try not to meet or communicate with (a person); to shun.
  2. 2
    To stay out of the way of (something harmful).
  3. 3
    To keep away from; to keep clear of; to stay away from.
  4. 4
    To try not to do something or to have something happen.
  5. 5
    To make empty; to clear.
  6. 6
    To make void, to annul; to refute (especially a contract).
  7. 7
    To defeat or evade; to invalidate.
  8. 8
    To emit or throw out; to void.
  9. 9
    To leave, evacuate; to leave as empty, to withdraw or come away from.
  10. 10
    To get rid of.
  11. 11
    To retire; to withdraw, depart, go away.
  12. 12
    To become void or vacant.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I avoided the slap easily.
  2. One town was flooded from the storm, while the other town avoided the storm.

Etymology

From Middle English avoiden, from Anglo-Norman avoider, Old French esvuidier (“to empty out”), from es- + vuidier, from Vulgar Latin *vocitāre < Vulgar Latin *vocitum, ultimately related to Latin vacuus. Displaced native Old English forbūgan (literally “to bend away from”).

Synonyms

abjureavertavoiddodgeduckhelpeludeescapeeschewevadeevitateget away fromlong offsack offsidestepshy away fromskirtshunsteer clearswervewaive

Antonyms

come to grips withconfrontdeal withengageget to grips withtake the bull by the horns

This word in other languages

evitar(Español)éviter(Français)ausweichen(Deutsch)evitar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aovid
  • aviod
  • avodi
  • avoidd
  • avvoid
  • vaoid

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aovid2aviod2avodi2avoidd1avvoid1vaoid2
Edit distance from "avoid"

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 "avoid"?
"avoid" is spelled A-V-O-I-D. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈvɔɪd/.
What does "avoid" mean?
As a verb, "avoid" means: To try not to meet or communicate with (a person); to shun.
What words are commonly confused with "avoid"?
"avoid" is commonly confused with "Avon", "Avril", "avoids". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "avoid"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "avoid" is /əˈvɔɪd/. 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 "avoid"?
From Middle English avoiden, from Anglo-Norman avoider, Old French esvuidier (“to empty out”), from es- + vuidier, from Vulgar Latin *vocitāre < Vulgar Latin *vocitum, ultimately related to Latin vacuus. Displaced native Old English forbūgan (lite... 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 "avoid", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

catch#1,418coast#1,420rates#1,406Peter#1,402

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

drug6 variantssick6 variantsshop6 variantstrial6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list