awesome

/ˈɔː.səm/

//ˈɔː.səm// adj

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

"awesome" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“awesome” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,261. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,261
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Causing awe or terror; inspiring wonder or excitement.

Corpus desk

Index EN-awesome · awesome · English

awesome · rank #1,261 · 9 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,261
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Africa

Nearest frequency peer: Africa (-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 “awesome”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “awesome” 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
Key facts for awesome
PropertyValue
Headwordawesome
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɔː.səm/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,261
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “awesome”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).awesomelands 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 “Africa” (#1,260), “band” (#1,262), “worst” (#1,259). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “awesome” is #1,261. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around awesome (IPA /ˈɔː.səm/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,261 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for awesome, with forms such as "aewsome", "aweosme", and "awesmoe". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From awe + -some; compare earlier awful and Middle English eiful (“inducing fright or terror, terrible”), from Old English eġeful (“fearful; inspiring awe”). The oldest meaning of awesome is of “something which inspires awe”, but the word is now also a comm… The correct English form is awesome, spelled A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Causing awe or terror; inspiring wonder or excitement.
  2. 2
    Excellent, exciting, remarkable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The waterfall in the middle of the rainforest was an awesome sight.
  2. The tsunami was awesome in its destructive power.

Etymology

From awe + -some; compare earlier awful and Middle English eiful (“inducing fright or terror, terrible”), from Old English eġeful (“fearful; inspiring awe”). The oldest meaning of awesome is of “something which inspires awe”, but the word is now also a common colloquial expression. It was originally so used in the United States, where it had featured strikingly in the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora!, as used by Japan's Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto to describe the "awesome" industrial potential of the United States. Consequently, as the word popularly became an expression for anything superb, in its original meaning it has tended to be replaced by the related word, awe-inspiring.

Synonyms

amazingastoundingawe-inspiringawesomeawfulsensationalawesomesaucebasedbewilderingcooldopeenchantingexcellentextraordinaryfar outfirehellagoodimpressiveincredibleinspiringgoshwowgloriousgnarlygoatedgrandgrandiosegreatgroovymagnificentmajormajesticmarvellousmystifyingmythicneatlitoutstandingphenomenalpowerfulradrighteousselcouthsplendentstupendousstupefyingsublimesurpassingterrifictightunbelievableunrealwickedwonderfulwondrous

Antonyms

horriblehorrificterriblemediocre

This word in other languages

asombroso(Español)impressionnant(Français)furchteinflößend(Deutsch)aterrador(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aewsome
  • aweosme
  • awesmoe
  • awesoem
  • awesomme
  • awessome
  • awseome
  • awwesome
  • waesome

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aewsome2aweosme2awesmoe2awesoem2awesomme1awessome1awseome2awwesome1
Edit distance from "awesome"

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 "awesome"?
"awesome" is spelled A-W-E-S-O-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɔː.səm/.
What does "awesome" mean?
As an adjective, "awesome" means: Causing awe or terror; inspiring wonder or excitement.
What are common misspellings of "awesome"?
Common misspellings include "aewsome", "aweosme", "awesmoe", "awesoem", "awesomme". The correct spelling is "awesome".
How do you pronounce "awesome"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "awesome" is /ˈɔː.səm/. 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 "awesome"?
From awe + -some; compare earlier awful and Middle English eiful (“inducing fright or terror, terrible”), from Old English eġeful (“fearful; inspiring awe”). The oldest meaning of awesome is of “something which inspires awe”, but the word is now a... 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 "awesome", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

clearly#1,265weekend#1,257reasons#1,252imagine#1,272

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

wonder9 variantsmaster9 variantsimpact9 variantslatest9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list