aware

/əˈwɛə(ɹ)/

//əˈwɛə(ɹ)// adj

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

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

The verdict

“aware” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,712 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,712
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Vigilant or on one's guard against danger or difficulty.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

aware vs awe
60% similar
aware vs away
60% similar
aware vs awry
60% similar

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

Key facts for aware
PropertyValue
Headwordaware
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈwɛə(ɹ)/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,712
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “aware” 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). aware 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 aware is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈwɛə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,712 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for aware, with forms such as "aawre", "awaer", and "awarre". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "awe", "away", "awry", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English aware, iwar, iware, ywar, from Old English ġewær (“aware”), from Proto-West Germanic *gawar, from Proto-Germanic *waraz (“aware, cautious”), from Proto-Indo-European *worós (“attentive”), from *wer- (“to heed; watch out”). Cognate with D… The correct English form is aware, spelled A-W-A-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vigilant or on one's guard against danger or difficulty.
  2. 2
    Conscious or having knowledge of something; awake.

Etymology

From Middle English aware, iwar, iware, ywar, from Old English ġewær (“aware”), from Proto-West Germanic *gawar, from Proto-Germanic *waraz (“aware, cautious”), from Proto-Indo-European *worós (“attentive”), from *wer- (“to heed; watch out”). Cognate with Dutch gewaar, German gewahr, Danish var, Swedish var, Icelandic varr.

Synonyms

warywatchfulsensitivealertattentiveobservantapprisedinformedcognizantconsciousmindfulawarewittingin the knowon the ballon the same pagesharpup to speedup-to-datewith it

Antonyms

unaware

This word in other languages

alerta(Español)attentif(Français)wachsam(Deutsch)alerta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aawre,awaer,awarre,awrae,awware,waare

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aawre2awaer2awarre1awrae2awware1waare2
Edit distance from "aware"

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 "aware"?
"aware" is spelled A-W-A-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈwɛə(ɹ)/.
What does "aware" mean?
As an adjective, "aware" means: Vigilant or on one's guard against danger or difficulty.
What words are commonly confused with "aware"?
"aware" is commonly confused with "awe", "away", "awry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "aware"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aware" is /əˈwɛə(ɹ)/. 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 "aware"?
From Middle English aware, iwar, iware, ywar, from Old English ġewær (“aware”), from Proto-West Germanic *gawar, from Proto-Germanic *waraz (“aware, cautious”), from Proto-Indo-European *worós (“attentive”), from *wer- (“to heed; watch out”). Cogn... 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 “aware”

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

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