award

/əˈwɔːd/

//əˈwɔːd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“award” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,385. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,385
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A judgment, sentence, or final decision. Specifically: The decision of arbitrators in a case submitted.

Corpus desk

Index EN-award · award · English

award · rank #1,385 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,385
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH ain't

Nearest frequency peer: ain't (-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 “award”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “award” 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).

award vs away
60% similar
award vs awry
60% similar
award vs awed
60% similar

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

Key facts for award
PropertyValue
Headwordaward
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈwɔːd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,385
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “award”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).awardlands 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 “ain't” (#1,384), “block” (#1,386), “agreement” (#1,383). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “award” is #1,385. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around award (IPA /əˈwɔːd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,385 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for award, with forms such as "aawrd", "awadr", and "awardd". 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, "away", "awry", "awed", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English awarden, from Anglo-Norman awarder, from Medieval Latin *exwardare, from Latin ex (“out”) + Medieval Latin wardare, guardare (“to observe, regard, guard”); see ward, guard, regard. The correct English form is award, spelled A-W-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A judgment, sentence, or final decision. Specifically: The decision of arbitrators in a case submitted.
  2. 2
    The paper containing the decision of arbitrators; that which is warded.
  3. 3
    Funding that has been granted for the conduct of a research project.
  4. 4
    A trophy or medal; something that denotes an accomplishment, especially in a competition. A prize or honor based on merit.
  5. 5
    A negotiated set of employment conditions and minimum wages for a particular trade or industry; an industrial award.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Citing the damages that Ms. Lewis and Mr. Heslin had requested, Mr. Jones called the award a “major victory” in a video posted on Infowars on Thursday night, even as he urged viewers to buy products from his website to stave off what he portrayed as financial ruin.
  2. The AMIEU^([Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union]) first developed into a powerful organisation in the early years of the twentieth century, and after the first industry-wide collective agreement was made in 1911, collective bargaining prevailed in the industry until 1917, when the employers sought an award from the Queensland Industrial Court. The…

Etymology

From Middle English awarden, from Anglo-Norman awarder, from Medieval Latin *exwardare, from Latin ex (“out”) + Medieval Latin wardare, guardare (“to observe, regard, guard”); see ward, guard, regard.

This word in other languages

laudo(Español)prix(Français)Spruch(Deutsch)sentença(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aawrd
  • awadr
  • awardd
  • awarrd
  • awrad
  • awward
  • waard

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aawrd2awadr2awardd1awarrd1awrad2awward1waard2
Edit distance from "award"

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 "award"?
"award" is spelled A-W-A-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈwɔːd/.
What does "award" mean?
As a noun, "award" means: A judgment, sentence, or final decision. Specifically: The decision of arbitrators in a case submitted.
What words are commonly confused with "award"?
"award" is commonly confused with "away", "awry", "awed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "award"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "award" is /əˈwɔːd/. 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 "award"?
From Middle English awarden, from Anglo-Norman awarder, from Medieval Latin *exwardare, from Latin ex (“out”) + Medieval Latin wardare, guardare (“to observe, regard, guard”); see ward, guard, regard. 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 "award", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

ain't#1,384block#1,386worse#1,381we'll#1,379

Similar misspelling depth

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

Texas7 variantslived7 variantsJapan7 variantsPeter7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list