common

/ˈkɒm.ən/

//ˈkɒm.ən// adj

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

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

The verdict

“common” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #631. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#631
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Mutual; shared by more than one.

Corpus desk

Index EN-common · common · English

common · rank #631 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #631
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH club

Nearest frequency peer: club (-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 “common”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “common” 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).

common vs Como
50% similar
common vs coon
67% similar
common vs cotton
67% similar

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

Key facts for common
PropertyValue
Headwordcommon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkɒm.ən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#631
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “common”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).commonlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “club” (#630), “died” (#632), “above” (#629). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “common” is #631. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around common (IPA /ˈkɒm.ən/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #631 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for common, with forms such as "ccommon", "cmomon", and "commno". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Como", "coon", "cotton", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English comun, from Anglo-Norman comun, from Old French comun (rare in the Gallo-Romance languages, but reinforced as a Carolingian calque of Proto-West Germanic *gamainī (“common”) in Old French), from Latin commūnis (“common, public, general”)… The correct English form is common, spelled C-O-M-M-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mutual; shared by more than one.
  2. 2
    Of a quality: existing among virtually all people; universal.
  3. 3
    Occurring or happening regularly or frequently; usual.
  4. 4
    Found in large numbers or in a large quantity; usual.
  5. 5
    Simple, ordinary or vulgar.
  6. 6
    As part of the vernacular name of a species, usually denoting that it is abundant or widely known.
  7. 7
    Vernacular, referring to the name of a kind of plant or animal.
  8. 8
    Arising from use or tradition, as opposed to being created by a legislative body.
  9. 9
    Of, pertaining or belonging to the common gender.
  10. 10
    Of or pertaining to common nouns as opposed to proper nouns.
  11. 11
    Profane; polluted.
  12. 12
    Given to lewd habits; prostitute.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The two competitors have the common aim of winning the championship.
  2. Winning the championship is an aim common to the two competitors.

Etymology

From Middle English comun, from Anglo-Norman comun, from Old French comun (rare in the Gallo-Romance languages, but reinforced as a Carolingian calque of Proto-West Germanic *gamainī (“common”) in Old French), from Latin commūnis (“common, public, general”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱom-moy-ni-s (“held in common”), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“to exchange, change”). Displaced native Middle English imene, ȝemǣne (“common, general, universal”) (from Old English ġemǣne (“common, universal”)), Middle English mene, mǣne (“mean, common”) (also from Old English ġemǣne (“common, universal”)), Middle English samen, somen (“in common, together”) (from Old English samen (“together”)). Doublet of gmina and mean.

Synonyms

mutualsharedjointnormalordinarystandardusualwidespreadwidespreadcommon-or-gardeneverydaynormalgender of coalescence of masculine of feminineappellativeaveragebanalbasicbog standardcommoncommon as bumscommon as muckcommonplacecommon or garden varietyconventionaldime a dozenfamiliargarden varietygeneralnonrarepar for the coursepedestrianplainplain Janeplain vanillaquotidianregularroutinaryroutinestandard issueten a pennytwo a pennytypicalrun-of-the-millworkaday

Antonyms

personalindividualpeculiarsolespecialexceptionalrareuncommonstrangerareuncommonfew and far betweenexceptionalextraordinarynoteworthyspecialtechnical termabnormalatypicalexoticendangeredunconventionaluniqueunusual

This word in other languages

común(Español)commun(Français)gemeinsam(Deutsch)comum(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccommon
  • cmomon
  • commno
  • commonn
  • comomn
  • comon
  • ocmmon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccommon1cmomon2commno2commonn1comomn2comon1ocmmon2
Edit distance from "common"

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 "common"?
"common" is spelled C-O-M-M-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒm.ən/.
What does "common" mean?
As an adjective, "common" means: Mutual; shared by more than one.
What words are commonly confused with "common"?
"common" is commonly confused with "Como", "coon", "cotton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "common"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "common" is /ˈkɒm.ən/. 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 "common"?
From Middle English comun, from Anglo-Norman comun, from Old French comun (rare in the Gallo-Romance languages, but reinforced as a Carolingian calque of Proto-West Germanic *gamainī (“common”) in Old French), from Latin commūnis (“common, public,... 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 "common", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

likely#637record#625period#623what's#645

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

total7 variantsshare7 variantsApril7 variantshappen7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list