avowed

/əˈvaʊd/

//əˈvaʊd// verb

"avowed" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“avowed” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #43,515 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#43,515
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - simple past and past participle of avow

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

avowed vs awed
67% similar
avowed vs avoid
67% similar
avowed vs adored
67% similar

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

Key facts for avowed
PropertyValue
Headwordavowed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈvaʊd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#43,515
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “avowed” 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). avowed 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 avowed is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈvaʊd/. Corpus data places it at rank #43,515 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "simple past and past participle of avow".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for avowed, with forms such as "aovwed", "avoewd", and "avowde". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "awed", "avoid", "adored", 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 avow + -ed. The correct English form is avowed, spelled A-V-O-W-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past and past participle of avow

Etymology

From avow + -ed.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aovwed,avoewd,avowde,avowedd,avowwed,avvowed,avwoed,vaowed

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aovwed2avoewd2avowde2avowedd1avowwed1avvowed1avwoed2vaowed2
Edit distance from "avowed"

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 "avowed"?
"avowed" is spelled A-V-O-W-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈvaʊd/.
What does "avowed" mean?
As a verb, "avowed" means: simple past and past participle of avow
What words are commonly confused with "avowed"?
"avowed" is commonly confused with "awed", "avoid", "adored". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "avowed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "avowed" is /əˈvaʊd/. 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 "avowed"?
From avow + -ed. 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 “avowed”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-V-O-W-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈvaʊd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “awed” - see the side-by-side comparison. avowed vs awed
  • 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