elope

/ɪˈləʊp/

//ɪˈləʊp// verb

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

"elope" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“elope” is uncommon English (frequency #52,921 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,921
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of a married or engaged person, to run away from home with a paramour.

Corpus desk

Index EN-elope · elope · English

elope · rank #52,921 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,921
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Elmhurst

Nearest frequency peer: Elmhurst (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “elope”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “elope” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for elope
PropertyValue
Headwordelope
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪˈləʊp/
Letters5
Frequency rank#52,921
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “elope” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).elopefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Elmhurst” (#52,920), “elucidated” (#52,922), “Elvin” (#52,923). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “elope” is #52,921. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

elope is uncommon English at frequency #52,921 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪˈləʊp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for elope in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman aloper (“to abduct, run away”), itself borrowed from Proto-West Germanic *andihlaupan (“to run away”). Equivalent to and- + lope as well as and- + leap (these being doublets). More at lope. The correct English form is elope, spelled E-L-O-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a married or engaged person, to run away from home with a paramour.
  2. 2
    Of an unmarried person, to run away secretly for the purpose of getting married with one's intended spouse; to marry in a quick or private fashion, especially without a public period of engagement.
  3. 3
    To run away from home (for any reason).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. My younger sister has left all her friends-- has eloped; has thrown herself into the power of-- of Mr. Wickham.
  2. Although Cecilia was the youngest of the surviving Thrale daughters, she had been the first to marry, eloping to Gretna Green in 1795 with John Meredith Mostyn of neighboring Llewesog Lodge. Both were underage.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman aloper (“to abduct, run away”), itself borrowed from Proto-West Germanic *andihlaupan (“to run away”). Equivalent to and- + lope as well as and- + leap (these being doublets). More at lope.

This word in other languages

arrancarse(Español)s'enfuir(Français)durchbrennen(Deutsch)fugir(Português)

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 "elope"?
"elope" is spelled E-L-O-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈləʊp/.
What does "elope" mean?
As a verb, "elope" means: Of a married or engaged person, to run away from home with a paramour.
How do you pronounce "elope"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "elope" is /ɪˈləʊp/. 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 "elope"?
From Anglo-Norman aloper (“to abduct, run away”), itself borrowed from Proto-West Germanic *andihlaupan (“to run away”). Equivalent to and- + lope as well as and- + leap (these being doublets). More at lope. 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 "elope", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Elvin#52,923dunce#52,912droit#52,907dotty#52,903

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list