eleven

/ɪˈlɛvən/

//ɪˈlɛvən// num

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

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

The verdict

“eleven” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,879. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,879
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The cardinal number occurring after ten and before twelve. Represented as 11 in Arabic digits.

Corpus desk

Index EN-eleven · eleven · English

eleven · rank #5,879 · 8 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,879
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH electoral

Nearest frequency peer: electoral (-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 “eleven”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “eleven” 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).

eleven vs even
67% similar
eleven vs ellen
67% similar
eleven vs elves
67% similar

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

Key facts for eleven
PropertyValue
Headwordeleven
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNumeral
IPA/ɪˈlɛvən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#5,879
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “eleven”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).elevenlands 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 “electoral” (#5,878), “entity” (#5,880), “Easter” (#5,877). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “eleven” is #5,879. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around eleven (IPA /ɪˈlɛvən/), anumeral. Corpus frequency is #5,879 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The cardinal number occurring after ten and before twelve. Represented as 11 in Arabic digits.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for eleven, with forms such as "eelven", "eleevn", and "elevenn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "even", "ellen", "elves", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English elleven, enleven, eleven, from Old English endleofan; from Proto-Germanic *ainalif (“one left”) (i.e., one left over after having already counted to ten), a compound of *ainaz and *-lif, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“leave, remain”).… The correct English form is eleven, spelled E-L-E-V-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The cardinal number occurring after ten and before twelve. Represented as 11 in Arabic digits.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It was a thunderstormy morning, eleven o'clock, with great dashes of rain pounding against the windows.
  2. I know most girls say that they've known their bezzies since they started primary school together, bonding over handmade Mother's Day cards or a hatred of the egg-and-spoon race, but I've only known Taryn since I was eleven[…]

Etymology

From Middle English elleven, enleven, eleven, from Old English endleofan; from Proto-Germanic *ainalif (“one left”) (i.e., one left over after having already counted to ten), a compound of *ainaz and *-lif, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“leave, remain”). Compare West Frisian alve, Low German ölven, Dutch elf, German elf, Icelandic ellefu, Danish and Norwegian elleve.

This word in other languages

once(Español)onze(Français)elf(Deutsch)onze(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eelven
  • eleevn
  • elevenn
  • elevne
  • elevven
  • elleven
  • elveen
  • leeven

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eelven2eleevn2elevenn1elevne2elevven1elleven1elveen2leeven2
Edit distance from "eleven"

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 "eleven"?
"eleven" is spelled E-L-E-V-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈlɛvən/.
What does "eleven" mean?
As a numeral, "eleven" means: The cardinal number occurring after ten and before twelve. Represented as 11 in Arabic digits.
What words are commonly confused with "eleven"?
"eleven" is commonly confused with "even", "ellen", "elves". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "eleven"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "eleven" is /ɪˈlɛvən/. 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 "eleven"?
From Middle English elleven, enleven, eleven, from Old English endleofan; from Proto-Germanic *ainalif (“one left”) (i.e., one left over after having already counted to ten), a compound of *ainaz and *-lif, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“leave,... 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 "eleven", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

entity#5,880Easter#5,877divide#5,876colony#5,866

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

linear8 variantscharm8 variantstheft8 variantssealed8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list