bemoan

/bɪˈməʊn/

//bɪˈməʊn// verb

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

"bemoan" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bemoan” is uncommon English (frequency #67,251 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,251
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To moan or complain about (something).

Corpus desk

Index EN-bemoan · bemoan · English

bemoan · rank #67,251 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,251
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Belen

Nearest frequency peer: Belen (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “bemoan”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “bemoan” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bemoan
PropertyValue
Headwordbemoan
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bɪˈməʊn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#67,251
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bemoan” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).bemoanfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Belen” (#67,250), “benet” (#67,252), “beefcake” (#67,247). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bemoan” is #67,251. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bemoan is uncommon English at frequency #67,251 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /bɪˈməʊn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for bemoan in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bemenen, bimenen, from Old English bemǣnan (“to bemoan, bewail, lament”); equivalent to be- (“about, concerning”) + moan. Alteration of vowel from Middle to Modern English due to analogy with moan. The correct English form is bemoan, spelled B-E-M-O-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To moan or complain about (something).
  2. 2
    To be dismayed or worried about (someone), particularly because of their situation or what has happened to them.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He bemoaned the drought but went on watering his lawn.
  2. The losse of this erle was greatly bemoned by men of al degrees, for he was liberal, gentle, humble, and curteous to eche one […]

Etymology

From Middle English bemenen, bimenen, from Old English bemǣnan (“to bemoan, bewail, lament”); equivalent to be- (“about, concerning”) + moan. Alteration of vowel from Middle to Modern English due to analogy with moan.

This word in other languages

quejar(Español)déplorer(Français)beklagen(Deutsch)

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 "bemoan"?
"bemoan" is spelled B-E-M-O-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈməʊn/.
What does "bemoan" mean?
As a verb, "bemoan" means: To moan or complain about (something).
How do you pronounce "bemoan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bemoan" is /bɪˈməʊn/. 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 "bemoan"?
From Middle English bemenen, bimenen, from Old English bemǣnan (“to bemoan, bewail, lament”); equivalent to be- (“about, concerning”) + moan. Alteration of vowel from Middle to Modern English due to analogy with moan. 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 "bemoan", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bauble#67,241blakey#67,265Barham#67,236anther#67,218

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list