awe

/ɔː/

//ɔː// noun

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

"awe" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“awe” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,568 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,568
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A feeling of fear and reverence.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

awe vs AZ
0% similar
awe vs ay
33% similar
awe vs ax
33% similar

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

Key facts for awe
PropertyValue
Headwordawe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɔː/
Letters3
Frequency rank#9,568
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “awe” 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). awe 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 awe is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɔː/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,568 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for awe in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "AZ", "ay", "ax", 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 aw, awe, agh, awȝe, borrowed from Old Norse agi, from Proto-Germanic *agaz (“terror, dread”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʰ- (“to be upset, afraid”). Displaced native Middle English eye, eyȝe, ayȝe, eȝȝe, from Old English ege, æge (“fe… The correct English form is awe, spelled A-W-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A feeling of fear and reverence.
  2. 2
    A feeling of amazement.
  3. 3
    Power to inspire awe.

Etymology

From Middle English aw, awe, agh, awȝe, borrowed from Old Norse agi, from Proto-Germanic *agaz (“terror, dread”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʰ- (“to be upset, afraid”). Displaced native Middle English eye, eyȝe, ayȝe, eȝȝe, from Old English ege, æge (“fear, terror, dread”), from the same Proto-Germanic root.

This word in other languages

pavor(Español)crainte(Français)Ehrfurcht(Deutsch)temor(Português)

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 "awe"?
"awe" is spelled A-W-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɔː/.
What does "awe" mean?
As a noun, "awe" means: A feeling of fear and reverence.
What words are commonly confused with "awe"?
"awe" is commonly confused with "AZ", "ay", "ax". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "awe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "awe" is /ɔː/. 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 "awe"?
From Middle English aw, awe, agh, awȝe, borrowed from Old Norse agi, from Proto-Germanic *agaz (“terror, dread”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʰ- (“to be upset, afraid”). Displaced native Middle English eye, eyȝe, ayȝe, eȝȝe, from Old English ege... 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 “awe”

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

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