encourage

/ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/

//ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ// verb

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

"encourage" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“encourage” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,295 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#3,295
frequency rank, English
9
letters
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

encourage vs entourage
89% similar
encourage vs encouraged
90% similar

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

Key facts for encourage
PropertyValue
Headwordencourage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#3,295
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “encourage” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). encourage lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for encourage is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,295 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. 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 encourage, with forms such as "ecnourage", "enccourage", and "encoruage". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "entourage", "encouraged", 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 encouragen, encoragen, from Anglo-Norman encoragier, from Old French encoragier. Displaced native Old English hiertan, tyhtan, and trymman. By surface analysis, en- + courage. The correct English form is encourage, spelled E-N-C-O-U-R-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.
  2. 2
    To spur on, strongly recommend.
  3. 3
    To foster, give help or patronage.

Etymology

From Middle English encouragen, encoragen, from Anglo-Norman encoragier, from Old French encoragier. Displaced native Old English hiertan, tyhtan, and trymman. By surface analysis, en- + courage.

This word in other languages

animar(Español)encourager(Français)ermutigen(Deutsch)incentivar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ecnourage,enccourage,encoruage,encouarge,encouraeg,encouragge,encourgae,encourrage,encuorage,enncourage,enocurage,necourage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of encourage - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ecnourage2enccourage1encoruage2encouarge2encouraeg2encouragge1encourgae2encourrage1
Edit distance from "encourage"

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 "encourage"?
"encourage" is spelled E-N-C-O-U-R-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "encourage" mean?
As a verb, "encourage" means: To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.
What words are commonly confused with "encourage"?
"encourage" is commonly confused with "entourage", "encouraged". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "encourage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "encourage" is /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "encourage"?
From Middle English encouragen, encoragen, from Anglo-Norman encoragier, from Old French encoragier. Displaced native Old English hiertan, tyhtan, and trymman. By surface analysis, en- + courage. 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.

Using “encourage”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is E-N-C-O-U-R-A-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “entourage” - see the side-by-side comparison. encourage vs entourage
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list