converse
/kənˈvɜːs/
"converse" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“converse” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,376 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #15,376
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 12
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To talk; to engage in conversation.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | converse |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /kənˈvɜːs/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #15,376 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 12 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “converse” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for converse is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kənˈvɜːs/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,376 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for converse, with forms such as "cconverse", "cnoverse", and "conevrse". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "covers", "convert", "conveys", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French converser, from Latin conversor (“live, have dealings with”). The correct English form is converse, spelled C-O-N-V-E-R-S-E.
Definition
- 1To talk; to engage in conversation.
- 2To keep company; to hold intimate intercourse; to commune.
- 3To have knowledge of something, from long talk or study.
Etymology
From Old French converser, from Latin conversor (“live, have dealings with”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: cconverse,cnoverse,conevrse,connverse,converes,converrse,conversse,convesre,convrese,convverse,covnerse,ocnverse
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of converse - 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.
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
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Using “converse”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-V-E-R-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /kənˈvɜːs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “covers” - see the side-by-side comparison. converse vs covers
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.