entail

/ɛnˈteɪl/

//ɛnˈteɪl// verb

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

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

The verdict

“entail” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,073. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,073
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To imply, require, or invoke.

Corpus desk

Index EN-entail · entail · English

entail · rank #22,073 · 8 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,073
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH equatorial

Nearest frequency peer: equatorial (+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 “entail”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “entail” 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).

entail vs entailed
75% similar
entail vs entrails
75% similar
entail vs email
67% similar

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

Key facts for entail
PropertyValue
Headwordentail
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɛnˈteɪl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#22,073
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “entail”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).entaillands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “equatorial” (#22,074), “eminence” (#22,070), “esports” (#22,076). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “entail” is #22,073. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around entail (IPA /ɛnˈteɪl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #22,073 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for entail, with forms such as "enatil", "enntail", and "entaill". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "entailed", "entrails", "email", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English entaillen, from Old French entaillier, entailler (“to notch”, literally “to cut in”); from prefix en- + tailler (“to cut”), from Late Latin taliare, from Latin talea. Compare late Latin feudum talliatum (“a fee entailed, i.e., curtailed … The correct English form is entail, spelled E-N-T-A-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To imply, require, or invoke.
  2. 2
    To settle or fix inalienably on a person or thing, or on a person and his descendants or a certain line of descendants; -- said especially of an estate; to bestow as a heritage.
  3. 3
    To appoint hereditary possessor.
  4. 4
    To cut or carve in an ornamental way.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This activity will entail careful attention to detail.
  2. What mattered to Hegel, and now Leach, is a presupposedly, historically necessary evolution in the structure of political power, entailing the creation of new classes of powerless victims to be sacrificed on the altar of abstract ideological concepts (i.e., “choice”).

Etymology

From Middle English entaillen, from Old French entaillier, entailler (“to notch”, literally “to cut in”); from prefix en- + tailler (“to cut”), from Late Latin taliare, from Latin talea. Compare late Latin feudum talliatum (“a fee entailed, i.e., curtailed or limited”).

This word in other languages

conllevar(Español)comporter(Français)bedingen(Deutsch)implicar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • enatil
  • enntail
  • entaill
  • entali
  • ential
  • enttail
  • etnail
  • netail

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

enatil2enntail1entaill1entali2ential2enttail1etnail2netail2
Edit distance from "entail"

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 "entail"?
"entail" is spelled E-N-T-A-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ɛnˈteɪl/.
What does "entail" mean?
As a verb, "entail" means: To imply, require, or invoke.
What words are commonly confused with "entail"?
"entail" is commonly confused with "entailed", "entrails", "email". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "entail"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "entail" is /ɛnˈteɪl/. 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 "entail"?
From Middle English entaillen, from Old French entaillier, entailler (“to notch”, literally “to cut in”); from prefix en- + tailler (“to cut”), from Late Latin taliare, from Latin talea. Compare late Latin feudum talliatum (“a fee entailed, i.e., ... 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 "entail", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

feeble#22,082disarm#22,059detain#22,056gazing#22,093

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

guesses8 variantsbunnies8 variantsbling8 variantsLaguna8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list