frown

/fɹaʊn/

//fɹaʊn// noun

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

"frown" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“frown” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,641. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,641
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A wrinkling of the forehead with the eyebrows brought together, typically indicating displeasure, severity, or concentration.

Corpus desk

Index EN-frown · frown · English

frown · rank #20,641 · 8 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,641
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH foreground

Nearest frequency peer: foreground (-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 “frown”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “frown” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

frown vs froze
60% similar
frown vs frozen
67% similar
frown vs frowns
83% similar

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

Key facts for frown
PropertyValue
Headwordfrown
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɹaʊn/
Letters5
Frequency rank#20,641
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “frown”

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).frownlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “foreground” (#20,640), “fruity” (#20,642), “forcefully” (#20,639). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “frown” is #20,641. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around frown (IPA /fɹaʊn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,641 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for frown, with forms such as "ffrown", "forwn", and "fronw". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "froze", "frozen", "frowns", 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 frown, froun (“a threatening appearance; lowering of the clouds”), from frounen (“to frown”). See below. The correct English form is frown, spelled F-R-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A wrinkling of the forehead with the eyebrows brought together, typically indicating displeasure, severity, or concentration.
  2. 2
    A downturn of the corners of the mouth, typically expressing sadness.
  3. 3
    Any facial expression that indicates disapproval or displeasure.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Philip had once told him of a man who had a horse-shoe frown, and Tom had tried with all his frowning-might to make a horse-shoe on his forehead
  2. He encounters some obstacle in his train of reasoning ... and then a frown passes like a shadow over his brow.

Etymology

From Middle English frown, froun (“a threatening appearance; lowering of the clouds”), from frounen (“to frown”). See below.

This word in other languages

ceño(Español)froncement(Français)Flunsch(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffrown
  • forwn
  • fronw
  • frownn
  • frowwn
  • frrown
  • frwon
  • rfown

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffrown1forwn2fronw2frownn1frowwn1frrown1frwon2rfown2
Edit distance from "frown"

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 "frown"?
"frown" is spelled F-R-O-W-N. The IPA pronunciation is /fɹaʊn/.
What does "frown" mean?
As a noun, "frown" means: A wrinkling of the forehead with the eyebrows brought together, typically indicating displeasure, severity, or concentration.
What words are commonly confused with "frown"?
"frown" is commonly confused with "froze", "frozen", "frowns". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "frown"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "frown" is /fɹaʊn/. 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 "frown"?
From Middle English frown, froun (“a threatening appearance; lowering of the clouds”), from frounen (“to frown”). See below. 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 "frown", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fitch#20,636godly#20,649expel#20,631groin#20,652

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Graeme8 variantsexcise8 variantsGuyana8 variantskinase8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list