firstborn

/ˈfɜː(ɹ)stˌbɔː(ɹ)n/

//ˈfɜː(ɹ)stˌbɔː(ɹ)n// noun

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

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

The verdict

“firstborn” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,652. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,652
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The first child to be born to a parent or family.

Corpus desk

Index EN-firstborn · firstborn · English

firstborn · rank #33,652 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,652
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Firestone

Nearest frequency peer: Firestone (-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 “firstborn”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “firstborn” 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
Key facts for firstborn
PropertyValue
Headwordfirstborn
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɜː(ɹ)stˌbɔː(ɹ)n/
Letters9
Frequency rank#33,652
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “firstborn”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).firstbornlands 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 “Firestone” (#33,651), “flees” (#33,653), “firefight” (#33,650). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “firstborn” is #33,652. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around firstborn (IPA /ˈfɜː(ɹ)stˌbɔː(ɹ)n/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,652 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The first child to be born to a parent or family.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for firstborn, with forms such as "ffirstborn", "firrstborn", and "firsbtorn". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English first borne. By surface analysis, first (adverb) + born. The correct English form is firstborn, spelled F-I-R-S-T-B-O-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The first child to be born to a parent or family.

Etymology

From Middle English first borne. By surface analysis, first (adverb) + born.

Antonyms

lastborn

This word in other languages

primogénito(Español)premier-né(Français)Erstgeborene(Deutsch)primogénito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffirstborn
  • firrstborn
  • firsbtorn
  • firsstborn
  • firstbborn
  • firstbonr
  • firstbornn
  • firstborrn
  • firstbron
  • firstobrn
  • firsttborn
  • firtsborn
  • fisrtborn
  • fristborn
  • ifrstborn

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of firstborn - 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.

ffirstborn1firrstborn1firsbtorn2firsstborn1firstbborn1firstbonr2firstbornn1firstborrn1
Edit distance from "firstborn"

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 "firstborn"?
"firstborn" is spelled F-I-R-S-T-B-O-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɜː(ɹ)stˌbɔː(ɹ)n/.
What does "firstborn" mean?
As a noun, "firstborn" means: The first child to be born to a parent or family.
What are common misspellings of "firstborn"?
Common misspellings include "ffirstborn", "firrstborn", "firsbtorn", "firsstborn", "firstbborn". The correct spelling is "firstborn".
How do you pronounce "firstborn"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "firstborn" is /ˈfɜː(ɹ)stˌbɔː(ɹ)n/. 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 "firstborn"?
From Middle English first borne. By surface analysis, first (adverb) + born. 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 "firstborn", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Firestone#33,651firefight#33,650glutamate#33,661draconian#33,625

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

empirically15 variantshumanistic15 variantsdrosophila15 variantsdisjointed15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list