borrower

/ˈbɔɹəʊə/

//ˈbɔɹəʊə// noun

"borrower" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“borrower” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,860. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,860
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who borrows.

Corpus desk

Index EN-borrower · borrower · English

borrower · rank #20,860 · 10 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,860
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bony

Nearest frequency peer: bony (-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 “borrower”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “borrower” 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).

borrower vs borrow
75% similar
borrower vs borrowed
88% similar

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

Key facts for borrower
PropertyValue
Headwordborrower
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɔɹəʊə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#20,860
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “borrower”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).borrowerlands 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 “bony” (#20,859), “bridging” (#20,861), “bona” (#20,858). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “borrower” is #20,860. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around borrower (IPA /ˈbɔɹəʊə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,860 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "One who borrows.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for borrower, with forms such as "bborrower", "bororwer", and "borower". 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. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "borrow", "borrowed", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English borower, borewer, borwere, equivalent to borrow + -er (agent suffix). The correct English form is borrower, spelled B-O-R-R-O-W-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who borrows.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a library borrower’s card
  2. But if other negative factors are operating simultaneously, or if the borrower's financial status is weak to start with, then one extra adverse development is more likely to affect returns on the loan.

Etymology

From Middle English borower, borewer, borwere, equivalent to borrow + -er (agent suffix).

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bborrower
  • bororwer
  • borower
  • borroewr
  • borrowerr
  • borrowre
  • borrowwer
  • borrwoer
  • brorower
  • obrrower

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of borrower - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bborrower1bororwer2borower1borroewr2borrowerr1borrowre2borrowwer1borrwoer2
Edit distance from "borrower"

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 "borrower"?
"borrower" is spelled B-O-R-R-O-W-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɔɹəʊə/.
What does "borrower" mean?
As a noun, "borrower" means: One who borrows.
What words are commonly confused with "borrower"?
"borrower" is commonly confused with "borrow", "borrowed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "borrower"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "borrower" is /ˈbɔɹəʊə/. 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 "borrower"?
From Middle English borower, borewer, borwere, equivalent to borrow + -er (agent suffix). 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 "borrower", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list