embarrass
/ɪmˈbæɹ.əs/
"embarrass" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“embarrass” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,898. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #16,898
- frequency rank, English
- 18,836
- “E” headwords
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - to humiliate; to disrupt somebody's composure or comfort with acting publicly or freely; to abash.
Corpus desk
Index EN-embarrass · embarrass · English
embarrass · rank #16,898 · 10 variants · 1 confusable
- FREQ-MID #16,898
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
- VAR-MID 10 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 18,836
- PHOTO-FINISH Duffy
Nearest frequency peer: Duffy (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “embarrass”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- dotted
dotted
83,106 corpus weight
- drifted
drifted
83,105 corpus weight
- Duffy
Duffy
83,104 corpus weight
- embarrass
embarrass
83,103 corpus weight
- Emmanuel
Emmanuel
83,102 corpus weight
- emulate
emulate
83,101 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “embarrass” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
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 | embarrass |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪmˈbæɹ.əs/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #16,898 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “embarrass” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 10 spelling variants around embarrass (IPA /ɪmˈbæɹ.əs/), averb. Corpus frequency is #16,898 among 18,836 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for embarrass, with forms such as "ebmarrass", "emabrrass", and "embararss". 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, "embarrassed", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French embarrasser, from Middle French embarrasser, embarasser (“to embarrass; to block, obstruct”), from Spanish embarazar, either from Italian imbarazzare or from Portuguese embaraçar. The correct English form is embarrass, spelled E-M-B-A-R-R-A-S-S.
Definition
- 1to humiliate; to disrupt somebody's composure or comfort with acting publicly or freely; to abash.
- 2To hinder from liberty of movement; to impede; to obstruct.
- 3To involve in difficulties concerning money matters; to encumber with debt; to beset with urgent claims or demands.
- 4To perplex mentally; confuse, disconcert; catch off guard.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how embarrass appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The crowd's laughter and jeers embarrassed him.
The motion was advanced in order to embarrass the progress of the bill.
Etymology
Borrowed from French embarrasser, from Middle French embarrasser, embarasser (“to embarrass; to block, obstruct”), from Spanish embarazar, either from Italian imbarazzare or from Portuguese embaraçar.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ebmarrass
- emabrrass
- embararss
- embarass
- embarras
- embarrsas
- embbarrass
- embrarass
- emmbarrass
- mebarrass
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of embarrass - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "embarrass"?
What does "embarrass" mean?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "embarrass", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).
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.