consonant

/ˈkɒn.sə.nənt/

//ˈkɒn.sə.nənt// noun

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

"consonant" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“consonant” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,715. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,715
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sound that results from the passage of air through restrictions of the oral cavity; any sound that is not the dominant sound of a syllable, the dominant sound generally being a vowel.

Corpus desk

Index EN-consonant · consonant · English

consonant · rank #25,715 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #25,715
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH conforming

Nearest frequency peer: conforming (-2 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 “consonant”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “consonant” 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).

consonant vs constant
78% similar

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

Key facts for consonant
PropertyValue
Headwordconsonant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒn.sə.nənt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#25,715
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “consonant”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “conforming” (#25,713), “cpl” (#25,717), “compounding” (#25,712). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “consonant” is #25,715. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around consonant (IPA /ˈkɒn.sə.nənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,715 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for consonant, with forms such as "cconsonant", "cnosonant", and "connsonant". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "constant", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English consonant or consonaunt, from Old French consonant, from Latin cōnsonāns (“sounding with”), from the prefix con- (“with”) + the present participle sonāns (“sounding”), from sonāre (“to sound”). The Latin is a calque of Ancient Greek σύμφ… The correct English form is consonant, spelled C-O-N-S-O-N-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sound that results from the passage of air through restrictions of the oral cavity; any sound that is not the dominant sound of a syllable, the dominant sound generally being a vowel.
  2. 2
    A letter representing the sound of a consonant.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
  2. “Tell me, has right anything to do with the law?” I asked. “You have used the wrong initial consonant,” he smiled in answer. “Might?” I queried; and he nodded his head.

Etymology

From Middle English consonant or consonaunt, from Old French consonant, from Latin cōnsonāns (“sounding with”), from the prefix con- (“with”) + the present participle sonāns (“sounding”), from sonāre (“to sound”). The Latin is a calque of Ancient Greek σύμφωνον (súmphōnon).

This word in other languages

consonante(Español)consonne(Français)Konsonant(Deutsch)consoante(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconsonant
  • cnosonant
  • connsonant
  • conosnant
  • consnoant
  • consoannt
  • consonannt
  • consonantt
  • consonatn
  • consonnant
  • consonnat
  • conssonant
  • cosnonant
  • ocnsonant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cconsonant1cnosonant2connsonant1conosnant2consnoant2consoannt2consonannt1consonantt1
Edit distance from "consonant"

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 "consonant"?
"consonant" is spelled C-O-N-S-O-N-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒn.sə.nənt/.
What does "consonant" mean?
As a noun, "consonant" means: A sound that results from the passage of air through restrictions of the oral cavity; any sound that is not the dominant sound of a syllable, the dominant sound generally being a vowel.
What words are commonly confused with "consonant"?
"consonant" is commonly confused with "constant". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "consonant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "consonant" is /ˈkɒn.sə.nənt/. 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 "consonant"?
From Middle English consonant or consonaunt, from Old French consonant, from Latin cōnsonāns (“sounding with”), from the prefix con- (“with”) + the present participle sonāns (“sounding”), from sonāre (“to sound”). The Latin is a calque of Ancient ... 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 "consonant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

coherence#25,708clustered#25,706diaphragm#25,731dichotomy#25,732

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

diminutive14 variantsexpressway14 variantswhimsical14 variantsindulgent14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list