concern

/kənˈsɝn/

//kənˈsɝn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“concern” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,195. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,195
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - That which affects one’s welfare or happiness. A matter of interest to someone.

Corpus desk

Index EN-concern · concern · English

concern · rank #2,195 · 11 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,195
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH comfortable

Nearest frequency peer: comfortable (-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 “concern”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “concern” 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).

concern vs confer
71% similar
concern vs concur
71% similar
concern vs concert
86% similar

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

Key facts for concern
PropertyValue
Headwordconcern
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kənˈsɝn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,195
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “concern”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “comfortable” (#2,194), “developing” (#2,196), “candidate” (#2,193). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “concern” is #2,195. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around concern (IPA /kənˈsɝn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,195 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for concern, with forms such as "cconcern", "cnocern", and "cocnern". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 16 confusable-pair relationships, "confer", "concur", "concert", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French concerner, from Medieval Latin concernō, concernere (“I distinguish, have respect to”), from Latin concernō (“to mix, sift, or mingle together, as in a sieve”), combined form of con- + cernō (“distinguish”). The correct English form is concern, spelled C-O-N-C-E-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    That which affects one’s welfare or happiness. A matter of interest to someone.
  2. 2
    The placement of interest or worry on a subject.
  3. 3
    A worry; a sense that something may be wrong; an identification of a possible problem.
  4. 4
    The expression of solicitude, anxiety, or compassion toward a thing or person.
  5. 5
    A business, firm or enterprise; a company.
  6. 6
    Any set of information that affects the code of a computer program.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mark’s health was of great concern to Connie.
  2. We drove back to the office with some concern on my part at the prospect of so large a case. Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French concerner, from Medieval Latin concernō, concernere (“I distinguish, have respect to”), from Latin concernō (“to mix, sift, or mingle together, as in a sieve”), combined form of con- + cernō (“distinguish”).

This word in other languages

interés(Español)inquiétude(Français)Sorge(Deutsch)preocupação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconcern
  • cnocern
  • cocnern
  • conccern
  • concenr
  • concernn
  • concerrn
  • concren
  • conecrn
  • conncern
  • ocncern

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cconcern1cnocern2cocnern2conccern1concenr2concernn1concerrn1concren2
Edit distance from "concern"

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 "concern"?
"concern" is spelled C-O-N-C-E-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈsɝn/.
What does "concern" mean?
As a noun, "concern" means: That which affects one’s welfare or happiness. A matter of interest to someone.
What words are commonly confused with "concern"?
"concern" is commonly confused with "confer", "concur", "concert". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "concern"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "concern" is /kənˈsɝn/. 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 "concern"?
Borrowed from Middle French concerner, from Medieval Latin concernō, concernere (“I distinguish, have respect to”), from Latin concernō (“to mix, sift, or mingle together, as in a sieve”), combined form of con- + cernō (“distinguish”). 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 "concern", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

discuss#2,197falling#2,203testing#2,184holiday#2,207

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

requires11 variantspayment11 variantsmeasures11 variantsperform11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list