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” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,295. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,295
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.

Corpus desk

Index EN-encourage · encourage · English

encourage · rank #3,295 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,295
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Egypt

Nearest frequency peer: Egypt (-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 “encourage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “encourage” 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).

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)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “encourage”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Egypt” (#3,294), “enforcement” (#3,296), “duke” (#3,293). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “encourage” is #3,295. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around encourage (IPA /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,295 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I encouraged him during his race.
  2. Delia's coach encouraged her to focus on the positives.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "encourage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

discussed#3,292discovery#3,291directors#3,290contained#3,286

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

covering12 variantsinformed12 variantsmistakes12 variantsmystery12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list