embark
/ɪmˈbɑːk/
"embark" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“embark” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,128 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #17,128
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To go aboard a craft or vessel for transportation.
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 | embark |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪmˈbɑːk/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #17,128 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “embark” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for embark is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪmˈbɑːk/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,128 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for embark, with forms such as "ebmark", "emabrk", and "embakr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "ember", "embers", "embarked", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French embarquer, from em- + barque (“small ship”). Compare with Portuguese embarcar, Spanish abarcar. The correct English form is embark, spelled E-M-B-A-R-K.
Definition
- 1To go aboard a craft or vessel for transportation.
- 2To start, begin.
- 3To cause to go on board a vessel or boat; to put on shipboard.
- 4To engage, enlist, or invest (as persons, money, etc.) in any affair.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French embarquer, from em- + barque (“small ship”). Compare with Portuguese embarcar, Spanish abarcar.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ebmark,emabrk,embakr,embarkk,embarrk,embbark,embrak,emmbark,mebark
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of embark - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 “embark”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-M-B-A-R-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪmˈbɑːk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “ember” - see the side-by-side comparison. embark vs ember
- 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.