entertain

/ˌɛntəˈteɪn/

//ˌɛntəˈteɪn// verb

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

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

The verdict

“entertain” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,175. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,175
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - to amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably

Corpus desk

Index EN-entertain · entertain · English

entertain · rank #9,175 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,175
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH economically

Nearest frequency peer: economically (-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 “entertain”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “entertain” 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).

entertain vs entertained
82% similar
entertain vs entertainer
82% similar

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

Key facts for entertain
PropertyValue
Headwordentertain
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌɛntəˈteɪn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#9,175
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “entertain”

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).entertainlands 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 “economically” (#9,174), “exploit” (#9,177), “fireworks” (#9,178). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “entertain” is #9,175. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around entertain (IPA /ˌɛntəˈteɪn/), averb. Corpus frequency is #9,175 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for entertain, with forms such as "enetrtain", "enntertain", and "enteratin". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "entertained", "entertainer", 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 entertenen, from Middle French entretenir, from Old French entretenir, from entre (“among”) + tenir (“to hold”), from Latin inter + teneō (“hold, keep”). For the noun, compare French entretien. Sense of answering a phone call in Malaysia… The correct English form is entertain, spelled E-N-T-E-R-T-A-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    to amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably
  2. 2
    To have someone over at one's home, or some other venue, for a party or visit.
  3. 3
    to receive and take into consideration; to have a thought in mind
  4. 4
    to take or keep in one's service; to maintain; to support; to harbour; to keep
  5. 5
    to meet or encounter, as an enemy
  6. 6
    to lead on; to bring along; to introduce
  7. 7
    to help; to assist; to answer a phone call

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to entertain friends with lively conversation
  2. The motivational speaker not only instructed but also entertained the audience.

Etymology

From Middle English entertenen, from Middle French entretenir, from Old French entretenir, from entre (“among”) + tenir (“to hold”), from Latin inter + teneō (“hold, keep”). For the noun, compare French entretien. Sense of answering a phone call in Malaysian English is influenced by Malay layan “to serve, to attend to or engage with something”.

This word in other languages

divertir(Español)divertir(Français)unterhalten(Deutsch)entreter(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • enetrtain
  • enntertain
  • enteratin
  • enterrtain
  • entertainn
  • entertani
  • entertian
  • enterttain
  • entetrain
  • entretain
  • enttertain
  • etnertain
  • netertain

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

enetrtain2enntertain1enteratin2enterrtain1entertainn1entertani2entertian2enterttain1
Edit distance from "entertain"

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 "entertain"?
"entertain" is spelled E-N-T-E-R-T-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɛntəˈteɪn/.
What does "entertain" mean?
As a verb, "entertain" means: to amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably
What words are commonly confused with "entertain"?
"entertain" is commonly confused with "entertained", "entertainer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "entertain"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "entertain" is /ˌɛntəˈteɪn/. 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 "entertain"?
From Middle English entertenen, from Middle French entretenir, from Old French entretenir, from entre (“among”) + tenir (“to hold”), from Latin inter + teneō (“hold, keep”). For the noun, compare French entretien. Sense of answering a phone call i... 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 "entertain", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

fireworks#9,178dominance#9,170discourse#9,168declining#9,161

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

crushing13 variantsChurchill13 variantsKatherine13 variantscharities13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list