command

/kəˈmɑːnd/

//kəˈmɑːnd// noun

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

"command" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“command” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,032. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,032
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An order to do something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-command · command · English

command · rank #2,032 · 9 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,032
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Canadian

Nearest frequency peer: Canadian (-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 “command”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “command” 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).

command vs common
71% similar
command vs conman
71% similar
command vs company
71% similar

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

Key facts for command
PropertyValue
Headwordcommand
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈmɑːnd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,032
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “command”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).commandlands 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 “Canadian” (#2,031), “crew” (#2,033), “border” (#2,030). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “command” is #2,032. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around command (IPA /kəˈmɑːnd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,032 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for command, with forms such as "ccommand", "cmomand", and "comamnd". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "common", "conman", "company", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂-der. Proto-Italic *manus Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁tder. Proto-Italic *-ðō Proto-Italic … The correct English form is command, spelled C-O-M-M-A-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    An order to do something.
  2. 2
    The right or authority to order, control or dispose of; the right to be obeyed or to compel obedience.
  3. 3
    power of control, direction or disposal; mastery.
  4. 4
    A position of chief authority; a position involving the right or power to order or control.
  5. 5
    The act of commanding; exercise or authority of influence.
  6. 6
    A body or troops, or any naval or military force, under the control of a particular officer; by extension, any object or body in someone's charge.
  7. 7
    Dominating situation; range or control or oversight; extent of view or outlook.
  8. 8
    A directive to a computer program acting as an interpreter of some kind, in order to perform a specific task.
  9. 9
    The degree of control a pitcher has over his pitches.
  10. 10
    A command performance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I was given a command to cease shooting.
  2. to have command of an army

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂-der. Proto-Italic *manus Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁tder. Proto-Italic *-ðō Proto-Italic *manuðō Latin mandō Latin commendō ▲ Latin mandōinflu. Latin commandāre Old French comanderbor. Middle English comaunden English command From Middle English commanden, commaunden, comaunden, comanden, from Old French comander, from Late Latin commandāre, from Latin commendāre. Ultimately from Latin com- + mandō (whence ultimately also commend (a doublet), mandate, and recommend), from manus + -dō. Compare typologically Russian поручи́ть (poručítʹ), поруче́ние (poručénije), руководи́ть (rukovodítʹ), руководи́тель (rukovodítelʹ) related to рука́ (ruká).

Synonyms

behestbiddingcommandcommandmentdecreedemanddictatediktatdirectivedirectionedictfiathestinjunctioninstructionmandateorderpreceptruling

This word in other languages

mandado(Español)commandement(Français)Befehl(Deutsch)comando(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccommand
  • cmomand
  • comamnd
  • comand
  • commadn
  • commandd
  • commannd
  • commnad
  • ocmmand

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccommand1cmomand2comamnd2comand1commadn2commandd1commannd1commnad2
Edit distance from "command"

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 "command"?
"command" is spelled C-O-M-M-A-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈmɑːnd/.
What does "command" mean?
As a noun, "command" means: An order to do something.
What words are commonly confused with "command"?
"command" is commonly confused with "common", "conman", "company". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "command"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "command" is /kəˈmɑːnd/. 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 "command"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂-der. Proto-Italic *manus Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁tder. Proto-Italic *-ðō Pro... 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 "command", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

turning#2,023treated#2,022they'll#2,020promise#2,009

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

border9 variantsdating9 variantsPowers9 variantsprofit9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list