bewilder
/bɪˈwɪldə(ɹ)/
"bewilder" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“bewilder” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone, especially with many different choices.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | bewilder |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /bɪˈwɪldə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “bewilder” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for bewilder is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bɪˈwɪldə(ɹ)/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "To confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone, especially with many different choices.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for bewilder, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From be- (prefix used as an intensifier) + wilder (“to lead astray; to go astray, wander”). The correct English form is bewilder, spelled B-E-W-I-L-D-E-R.
Definition
- 1To confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone, especially with many different choices.
Etymology
From be- (prefix used as an intensifier) + wilder (“to lead astray; to go astray, wander”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “bewilder”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-E-W-I-L-D-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /bɪˈwɪldə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.