# aware

> English word · Adjective · IPA /əˈwɛə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #1,712

## Definitions
1. Vigilant or on one's guard against danger or difficulty.
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.

## Easily confused with
- **awe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aware-vs-awe)
- **away** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aware-vs-away)
- **awry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aware-vs-awry)
- **azure** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aware-vs-azure)
- **awoke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aware-vs-awoke)
- **awash** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aware-vs-awash)
- **aways** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aware-vs-aways)
- **are** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/are-vs-aware)
- **awa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/awa-vs-aware)
- **Aar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aar-vs-aware)
- **acre** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/acre-vs-aware)
- **Afar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/afar-vs-aware)
- **agar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/agar-vs-aware)
- **Amar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amar-vs-aware)
- **AARP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aarp-vs-aware)
- **ajar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ajar-vs-aware)
- **award** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/award-vs-aware)
- **apart** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/apart-vs-aware)
- **alarm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alarm-vs-aware)
- **awake** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/awake-vs-aware)

## Common misspellings (6)
`aawre`, `awaer`, `awarre`, `awrae`, `awware`, `waare`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/aware