betrothed

/bɪˈtɹəʊðd/

//bɪˈtɹəʊðd// verb

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

"betrothed" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“betrothed” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,397. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,397
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past and past participle of betroth

Corpus desk

Index EN-betrothed · betrothed · English

betrothed · rank #34,397 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,397
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH beryllium

Nearest frequency peer: beryllium (-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 “betrothed”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “betrothed” 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 betrothed
PropertyValue
Headwordbetrothed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bɪˈtɹəʊðd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#34,397
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “betrothed”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).betrothedlands 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 “beryllium” (#34,396), “belittle” (#34,395), “billiard” (#34,399). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “betrothed” is #34,397. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around betrothed (IPA /bɪˈtɹəʊðd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #34,397 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "simple past and past participle of betroth".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for betrothed, with forms such as "bbetrothed", "bertothed", and "betorthed". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English, equivalent to betroth + -ed. The correct English form is betrothed, spelled B-E-T-R-O-T-H-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past and past participle of betroth

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. 1901, American Standard Version of the Bible, Luke 1:27http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=49&chapter=1&verse=26&end_verse=28&version=8&context=context A virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph.

Etymology

From Middle English, equivalent to betroth + -ed.

This word in other languages

desposado(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbetrothed
  • bertothed
  • betorthed
  • betrohted
  • betrotehd
  • betrothde
  • betrothedd
  • betrothhed
  • betrotthed
  • betrrothed
  • betrtohed
  • bettrothed
  • bterothed
  • ebtrothed

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbetrothed1bertothed2betorthed2betrohted2betrotehd2betrothde2betrothedd1betrothhed1
Edit distance from "betrothed"

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 "betrothed"?
"betrothed" is spelled B-E-T-R-O-T-H-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈtɹəʊðd/.
What does "betrothed" mean?
As a verb, "betrothed" means: simple past and past participle of betroth
What are common misspellings of "betrothed"?
Common misspellings include "bbetrothed", "bertothed", "betorthed", "betrohted", "betrotehd". The correct spelling is "betrothed".
How do you pronounce "betrothed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "betrothed" is /bɪˈtɹəʊðd/. 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 "betrothed"?
From Middle English, equivalent to betroth + -ed. 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 "betrothed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

beryllium#34,396Broderick#34,410Broughton#34,411arrowhead#34,382

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

boisterous14 variantsallegorical14 variantscarriageway14 variantsChamplain14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list