error
/ˈɛɹə/
"error" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“error” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,731. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #2,731
- frequency rank, English
- 2,246
- “E” headwords
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 9
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state, quality, or condition of being wrong.
Corpus desk
Index EN-error · error · English
error · rank #2,731 · 5 variants · 9 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #2,731
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
- VAR-MID 5 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,246
- PHOTO-FINISH electronic
Nearest frequency peer: electronic (-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 neighbourhood for “error”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- doctors
doctors
97,273 corpus weight
- earned
earned
97,272 corpus weight
- electronic
electronic
97,271 corpus weight
- error
error
97,270 corpus weight
- existence
existence
97,269 corpus weight
- experiences
experiences
97,268 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “error” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
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 | error |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɛɹə/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #2,731 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 9 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “error” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 5 spelling variants around error (IPA /ˈɛɹə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,731 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for error, with forms such as "eror", "erorr", and "errorr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "euro", "errors", "err", and more, 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 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 (ai… The correct English form is error, spelled E-R-R-O-R.
Definition
- 1The state, quality, or condition of being wrong.
- 2A mistake; an accidental wrong action or a false statement not made deliberately.
- 3Sin; transgression.
- 4A failure to complete a task, usually involving a premature termination.
- 5The difference between a measured or calculated value and a true one.
- 6A play which is scored as having been made incorrectly.
- 7One or more mistakes in a trial that could be grounds for review of the judgement.
- 8Any alteration in the DNA chemical structure occurring during DNA replication, recombination or repairing.
- 9An unintentional deviation from the inherent rules of a language variety made by a second language learner.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how error appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"Am I in error in marking out the s in the word assistants used in the following manner?[…]"
There was a large error in the accounts.
Etymology
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).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- eror
- erorr
- errorr
- errro
- reror
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of error - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "error"?
What does "error" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "error"?
How do you pronounce "error"?
What is the origin of the word "error"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "error", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "error". Here's where to go from here.
- "error" maps to 9 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "euro". View pair
- 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #2,731 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "E" letter cohort. E–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.