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PlainSpell

error

err·or/ˈɛɹəɹ/noun, verb

error is spelled E-R-R-O-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables (err·or). It appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,725th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “err vs error” about 30 times a month (Bing, United States). As a noun, error means “The state, quality, or condition of being wrong” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of error is errors or β errors.

How many letters and syllables are in error?

Letters5: E-R-R-O-R
Syllables2: err·or
In writing35 times per million words; the 2,725th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Pairs people search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is error?

Error appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,725th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce error?

  • UK /ˈɛɹə/
  • US /ˈɛɹəɹ/
  • /ˈeɹəɹ/

Error has 2 syllables, split err·or in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-error.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-error.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with error

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

err vs error30 B

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with error?

2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as error from its last stressed vowel (/ɛɹəɹ/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of error

  • errors plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • erroring participle, present
  • errored participle, past
  • β errors plural
  • beta error
  • α errors plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does error mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    The state, quality, or condition of being wrong.

  2. 2

    A mistake; an accidental wrong action or a false statement not made deliberately.

    There was a large error in the accounts.

  3. 3

    Sin; transgression.

    I've finally seen the error of my ways.

  4. 4

    A failure to complete a task, usually involving a premature termination.

  5. 5

    The difference between a measured or calculated value and a true one.

  6. 6

    A play which is scored as having been made incorrectly.

  7. 7

    One or more mistakes in a trial that could be grounds for review of the judgement.

  8. 8

    Any alteration in the DNA chemical structure occurring during DNA replication, recombination or repairing.

verb

  1. 1

    To function improperly due to an error, especially accompanied by error message.

    The web-page took a long time to load and errored out.

  2. 2

    To show or contain an error or fault.

    The block transmission errored near the start and could not be received.

  3. 3

    nonstandardTo err.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Error in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frencherreur (mistake – see also mistake), vice (appellate law: one or more mistakes in a trial), être en erreur (To show an error), planter, foirer (to cause or contain an error)
GermanFehler (mistake – see also mistake), Irrtum (appellate law: one or more mistakes in a trial), aussteigen, abbrechen (To show an error), fehlschlagen, misslingen (to cause or contain an error)
Portugueseerro (mistake – see also mistake), dar erro (To show an error)
Spanisherror, yerro, trabacuenta (mistake – see also mistake)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does error come from?

From Middle English errour, from Anglo-Norman errour, borrowed from Old French error, from Latin error (“wandering about”, noun), derived from the verb errō (“to wander, to err”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌶𐌴𐌹 (airzei, “error”), Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽 (airzjan, “to lead astray”). More at err. By surface analysis, err + -or (suffix forming nouns of quality, state, or condition). Displaced native Old English dwild (“error”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after error