envoy
/ˈɛn.vɔɪ/
"envoy" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“envoy” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,399 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #15,399
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 9
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A diplomatic agent of the second rank, next in status after an ambassador.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | envoy |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɛn.vɔɪ/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #15,399 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 9 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “envoy” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for envoy is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛn.vɔɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,399 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for envoy, with forms such as "ennvoy", "enovy", and "envoyy". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "evo", "envy", "Enzo", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French envoyé (“envoy, messenger”), from envoyer (“send”). The correct English form is envoy, spelled E-N-V-O-Y.
Definition
- 1A diplomatic agent of the second rank, next in status after an ambassador.
- 2A representative.
- 3A diplomat.
- 4A messenger.
- 5Alternative spelling of envoi (“short stanza at end of poem”).
Etymology
From French envoyé (“envoy, messenger”), from envoyer (“send”).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ennvoy,enovy,envoyy,envvoy,envyo,evnoy,nevoy
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of envoy - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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
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Using “envoy”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-N-V-O-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɛn.vɔɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “evo” - see the side-by-side comparison. envoy vs evo
- 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.