Joseph

/ˈd͡ʒəʊzɪf/

//ˈd͡ʒəʊzɪf// name

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

"joseph" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Joseph” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,901. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,901
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Eleventh and favorite son of Jacob, by his wife Rachel.

Corpus desk

Index EN-joseph · Joseph · English

Joseph · rank #2,901 · 9 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,901
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH introduction

Nearest frequency peer: introduction (-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 “Joseph”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Joseph” 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).

Joseph vs Josh
67% similar
Joseph vs Josiah
67% similar
Joseph vs Josephus
75% similar

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

Key facts for Joseph
PropertyValue
HeadwordJoseph
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒəʊzɪf/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,901
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Joseph”

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).Josephlands 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 “introduction” (#2,900), “license” (#2,902), “immediate” (#2,899). Among 796 “J” headwords, “Joseph” is #2,901. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Joseph (IPA /ˈd͡ʒəʊzɪf/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #2,901 among 796 “J” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Joseph, with forms such as "jjoseph", "joesph", and "josehp". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Josh", "Josiah", "Josephus", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English Ioseph, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew יוֹסֵף (Yoséf, literally “(God) shall add”); a son of Jacob. Doublet of Yusuf. The correct English form is Joseph, spelled J-O-S-E-P-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Eleventh and favorite son of Jacob, by his wife Rachel.
  2. 2
    The husband of Mary, mother of Jesus.
  3. 3
    The 12th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
  4. 4
    Joseph of Arimathea; man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus.
  5. 5
    A male given name from Hebrew.
  6. 6
    A surname:
  7. 7
    A surname:
  8. 8
    A locale in the United States:
  9. 9
    A locale in the United States:
  10. 10
    A locale in the United States:

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
  2. A few shocks of corn in a corner of the fallow stood up as if alive; she imagined them bowing; perhaps her son would be a Joseph.

Etymology

From Middle English Ioseph, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew יוֹסֵף (Yoséf, literally “(God) shall add”); a son of Jacob. Doublet of Yusuf.

This word in other languages

José(Español)Joseph(Français)Josef(Deutsch)José(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • jjoseph
  • joesph
  • josehp
  • josephh
  • josepph
  • jospeh
  • josseph
  • jsoeph
  • ojseph

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Joseph - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

jjoseph1joesph2josehp2josephh1josepph1jospeh2josseph1jsoeph2
Edit distance from "Joseph"

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 "Joseph"?
"Joseph" is spelled J-O-S-E-P-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒəʊzɪf/.
What does "Joseph" mean?
As a proper noun, "Joseph" means: Eleventh and favorite son of Jacob, by his wife Rachel.
What words are commonly confused with "Joseph"?
"Joseph" is commonly confused with "Josh", "Josiah", "Josephus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Joseph"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Joseph" is /ˈd͡ʒəʊzɪf/. 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 "Joseph"?
From Middle English Ioseph, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew יוֹסֵף (Yoséf, literally “(God) shall add”); a son of Jacob. Doublet of Yusuf. 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 "Joseph", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Edward#2,889rising#2,913decade#2,886singer#2,916

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

breath9 variantstheatre9 variantsbattery9 variantswitness9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list