beware

/biˈwɛɚ/

//biˈwɛɚ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“beware” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,170. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,170
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To use caution, pay attention to (used both with and without of).

Corpus desk

Index EN-beware · beware · English

beware · rank #11,170 · 8 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,170
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH benedict

Nearest frequency peer: benedict (-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 “beware”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “beware” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

beware vs bear
67% similar
beware vs bare
67% similar
beware vs bears
67% similar

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

Key facts for beware
PropertyValue
Headwordbeware
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/biˈwɛɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,170
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “beware”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).bewarelands 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 “benedict” (#11,169), “Bieber” (#11,171), “beasts” (#11,168). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “beware” is #11,170. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around beware (IPA /biˈwɛɚ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #11,170 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "To use caution, pay attention to (used both with and without of).".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for beware, with forms such as "bbeware", "beawre", and "bewaer". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "bear", "bare", "bears", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bewar, be war, be ware, forms of Middle English ben ware (“to be on one's guard, be vigilant”, literally “be ware”), equivalent to be + ware or be + aware. Compare Old English bewarian. The correct English form is beware, spelled B-E-W-A-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To use caution, pay attention to (used both with and without of).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Behold, I send an Angel before thee[…]. Beware of him, and obey his voice.
  2. Beware the Ides of March.

Etymology

From Middle English bewar, be war, be ware, forms of Middle English ben ware (“to be on one's guard, be vigilant”, literally “be ware”), equivalent to be + ware or be + aware. Compare Old English bewarian.

This word in other languages

faire attention(Français)tomar cuidado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbeware
  • beawre
  • bewaer
  • bewarre
  • bewrae
  • bewware
  • bweare
  • ebware

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of beware - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbeware1beawre2bewaer2bewarre1bewrae2bewware1bweare2ebware2
Edit distance from "beware"

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 "beware"?
"beware" is spelled B-E-W-A-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /biˈwɛɚ/.
What does "beware" mean?
As a verb, "beware" means: To use caution, pay attention to (used both with and without of).
What words are commonly confused with "beware"?
"beware" is commonly confused with "bear", "bare", "bears". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "beware"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "beware" is /biˈwɛɚ/. 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 "beware"?
From Middle English bewar, be war, be ware, forms of Middle English ben ware (“to be on one's guard, be vigilant”, literally “be ware”), equivalent to be + ware or be + aware. Compare Old English bewarian. 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 "beware", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Bieber#11,171beasts#11,168bikini#11,172wildly#11,154

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

appoint8 variantscrisp8 variantscrust8 variantstract8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list