enjoin

/ɛnˈd͡ʒɔɪn/

//ɛnˈd͡ʒɔɪn// verb

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

"enjoin" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“enjoin” is uncommon English (frequency #75,843 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,843
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To lay upon, as an order or command; to give an injunction to; to direct with authority; to order; to charge.

Corpus desk

Index EN-enjoin · enjoin · English

enjoin · rank #75,843 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,843
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH enshrine

Nearest frequency peer: enshrine (+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 “enjoin”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for enjoin
PropertyValue
Headwordenjoin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɛnˈd͡ʒɔɪn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#75,843
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “enjoin” 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).enjoinfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “enshrine” (#75,844), “embroider” (#75,840), “embarcadero” (#75,839). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “enjoin” is #75,843. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

enjoin is uncommon English at frequency #75,843 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɛnˈd͡ʒɔɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for enjoin in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English enjoinen, from Old French enjoindre (“to join with”), from Latin iniungo (“to attach”), a compound of in- (“into” “upon”) and iungo. The correct English form is enjoin, spelled E-N-J-O-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To lay upon, as an order or command; to give an injunction to; to direct with authority; to order; to charge.
  2. 2
    To prescribe under authority; to ordain.
  3. 3
    To prohibit or restrain by a judicial order or decree; to put an injunction on.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I am enjoin'd by oath to observe three things:
  2. to confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them […]

Etymology

From Middle English enjoinen, from Old French enjoindre (“to join with”), from Latin iniungo (“to attach”), a compound of in- (“into” “upon”) and iungo.

This word in other languages

imponer(Español)enjoindre(Français)auferlegen(Deutsch)

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 "enjoin"?
"enjoin" is spelled E-N-J-O-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɛnˈd͡ʒɔɪn/.
What does "enjoin" mean?
As a verb, "enjoin" means: To lay upon, as an order or command; to give an injunction to; to direct with authority; to order; to charge.
How do you pronounce "enjoin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "enjoin" is /ɛnˈd͡ʒɔɪn/. 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 "enjoin"?
From Middle English enjoinen, from Old French enjoindre (“to join with”), from Latin iniungo (“to attach”), a compound of in- (“into” “upon”) and iungo. 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 "enjoin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Elwell#75,836doucet#75,814dopant#75,813fortin#75,883

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list