issue

/ˈɪʃuː/

//ˈɪʃuː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“issue” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #589 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#589
frequency rank, English
5
letters
4
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The action or an instance of flowing or coming out, an outflow

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

issue vs isu
60% similar
issue vs issues
83% similar
issue vs issued
83% similar

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

Key facts for issue
PropertyValue
Headwordissue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪʃuː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#589
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “issue” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). issue lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for issue is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪʃuː/. Corpus data places it at rank #589 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 37 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for issue, with forms such as "isseu", "isue", and "isuse". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "isu", "issues", "issued", 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 issue, from Old French issue (“an exit, a way out”), feminine past participle of issir (“to exit”), from Latin exeō (“go out, exit”), from prefix ex- (“out”) + eō (“go”). The legal meaning originated from the concept of "the end or resul… The correct English form is issue, spelled I-S-S-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The action or an instance of flowing or coming out, an outflow
  2. 2
    The action or an instance of flowing or coming out, an outflow
  3. 3
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  4. 4
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  5. 5
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  6. 6
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  7. 7
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  8. 8
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  9. 9
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  10. 10
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  11. 11
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  12. 12
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  13. 13
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  14. 14
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  15. 15
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  16. 16
    Someone or something that flows out or comes out
  17. 17
    The means or opportunity by which something flows or comes out, particularly
  18. 18
    The means or opportunity by which something flows or comes out
  19. 19
    The place where something flows or comes out, an outlet
  20. 20
    The place where something flows or comes out, an outlet
  21. 21
    The action or an instance of sending something out, particularly
  22. 22
    The action or an instance of sending something out
  23. 23
    The action or an instance of sending something out
  24. 24
    The action or an instance of sending something out
  25. 25
    The action or an instance of sending something out
  26. 26
    Any question or situation to be resolved, particularly
  27. 27
    Any question or situation to be resolved
  28. 28
    Any question or situation to be resolved
  29. 29
    Any question or situation to be resolved
  30. 30
    Any question or situation to be resolved
  31. 31
    The action or an instance of concluding something
  32. 32
    The action or an instance of concluding something
  33. 33
    The end result of an event or events, any result or outcome, particularly
  34. 34
    The end result of an event or events, any result or outcome
  35. 35
    The end result of an event or events, any result or outcome
  36. 36
    The action or an instance of feeling some emotion.
  37. 37
    The action or an instance of leaving any state or condition.

Etymology

From Middle English issue, from Old French issue (“an exit, a way out”), feminine past participle of issir (“to exit”), from Latin exeō (“go out, exit”), from prefix ex- (“out”) + eō (“go”). The legal meaning originated from the concept of "the end or result of pleadings in a suit (by presenting the point to be determined by trial)," leading to the sense of "the controversy over facts in a trial" (early 14th century, Anglo-French). This later extended to mean "a point of contention between two parties" (early 15th century) and more generally, "an important point to be decided" (1836). Consequently, the verbal phrase take issue with emerged in 1797 (preceded by join issue in the 1690s), meaning "to adopt an affirmative or negative stance in a dispute with another." The expression to have issues, meaning "to have unresolved conflicts," dates back to 1990.

Synonyms

sortiesallychargedescendantfruit of one's loinsoffspring

This word in other languages

flujo(Español)sortie(Français)Ausgehen(Deutsch)fluxo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: isseu,isue,isuse,sisue

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

isseu2isue1isuse2sisue2
Edit distance from "issue"

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 "issue"?
"issue" is spelled I-S-S-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪʃuː/.
What does "issue" mean?
As a noun, "issue" means: The action or an instance of flowing or coming out, an outflow
What words are commonly confused with "issue"?
"issue" is commonly confused with "isu", "issues", "issued". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "issue"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "issue" is /ˈɪʃuː/. 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 "issue"?
From Middle English issue, from Old French issue (“an exit, a way out”), feminine past participle of issir (“to exit”), from Latin exeō (“go out, exit”), from prefix ex- (“out”) + eō (“go”). The legal meaning originated from the concept of "the en... 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.

Using “issue”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-S-S-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɪʃuː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “isu” - see the side-by-side comparison. issue vs isu
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list