err

/ɜː/

//ɜː// verb

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

"err" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“err” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #17,359) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#17,359
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make a mistake.

Corpus desk

Index EN-err · err · English

err · rank #17,359 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,359
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Epstein

Nearest frequency peer: Epstein (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “err”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “err” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

err vs ex
33% similar
err vs et
33% similar
err vs EU
0% similar

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

Key facts for err
PropertyValue
Headworderr
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɜː/
Letters3
Frequency rank#17,359
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “err”

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).errlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Epstein” (#17,358), “enormously” (#17,357), “espresso” (#17,361). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “err” is #17,359. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for err is neighbouring look-alikes ("ex", "et", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /ɜː/. Frequency #17,359 among 2,246 “E” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

err has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ex", "et", "EU", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English erren, from Old French errer (“to wander, err, mistake”), from Latin errō (“wander, stray, err, mistake”, verb), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ers- (“to be angry, lose one's temper”). Cognate with Old English eorre, ierre (“anger, wrath, i… The correct English form is err, spelled E-R-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make a mistake.
  2. 2
    To sin.
  3. 3
    to stray.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He erred in his calculations, and made many mistakes.
  2. Artificial tests, then, can hardly err on the side of supplying too many opportunities for one bird to see another perform the act which is the model.

Etymology

From Middle English erren, from Old French errer (“to wander, err, mistake”), from Latin errō (“wander, stray, err, mistake”, verb), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ers- (“to be angry, lose one's temper”). Cognate with Old English eorre, ierre (“anger, wrath, ire”), Old English iersian (“to be angry with, rage, irritate, provoke”), Old English ierre (“wandering, gone astray, confused”).

This word in other languages

errar(Español)se tromper(Français)irren(Deutsch)errar(Português)

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 "err"?
"err" is spelled E-R-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ɜː/.
What does "err" mean?
As a verb, "err" means: To make a mistake.
What words are commonly confused with "err"?
"err" is commonly confused with "ex", "et", "EU". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "err"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "err" is /ɜː/. 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 "err"?
From Middle English erren, from Old French errer (“to wander, err, mistake”), from Latin errō (“wander, stray, err, mistake”, verb), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ers- (“to be angry, lose one's temper”). Cognate with Old English eorre, ierre (“anger... 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 "err", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fab#17,363eff#17,352DEA#17,338Liv#17,402

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list