Josephine

/ˈd͡ʒəʊ.zə.fiːn/

//ˈd͡ʒəʊ.zə.fiːn// name

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

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

The verdict

“Josephine” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,868. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,868
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A female given name from French.

Corpus desk

Index EN-josephine · Josephine · English

Josephine · rank #18,868 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,868
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH joyous

Nearest frequency peer: joyous (+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 “Josephine”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Josephine” 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 Josephine
PropertyValue
HeadwordJosephine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒəʊ.zə.fiːn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#18,868
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Josephine”

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).Josephinelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “joyous” (#18,869), “Jericho” (#18,866), “kiwi” (#18,870). Among 796 “J” headwords, “Josephine” is #18,868. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around Josephine (IPA /ˈd͡ʒəʊ.zə.fiːn/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #18,868 among 796 “J” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A female given name from French.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for Josephine, with forms such as "jjosephine", "joesphine", and "josehpine". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French Joséphine, diminutive of Josèphe, feminine form of Joseph. Popularized in English by Josephine Bonaparte, the empress of Napoleonic France. The correct English form is Josephine, spelled J-O-S-E-P-H-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female given name from French.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "I hate my name, too, so sentimental! I wish every one would say Jo instead of Josephine. How did you make the boys stop calling you Dora?”
  2. I'm going to call him Joseph or Josephine if it's a girl. Why? Because it's a strong name, Joe, Joseph.

Etymology

From French Joséphine, diminutive of Josèphe, feminine form of Joseph. Popularized in English by Josephine Bonaparte, the empress of Napoleonic France.

This word in other languages

Josefa(Español)Joséphine(Français)Josefine(Deutsch)Josefina(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • jjosephine
  • joesphine
  • josehpine
  • josephhine
  • josephien
  • josephinne
  • josephnie
  • josepihne
  • josepphine
  • jospehine
  • jossephine
  • jsoephine
  • ojsephine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

jjosephine1joesphine2josehpine2josephhine1josephien2josephinne1josephnie2josepihne2
Edit distance from "Josephine"

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 "Josephine"?
"Josephine" is spelled J-O-S-E-P-H-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒəʊ.zə.fiːn/.
What does "Josephine" mean?
As a proper noun, "Josephine" means: A female given name from French.
What are common misspellings of "Josephine"?
Common misspellings include "jjosephine", "joesphine", "josehpine", "josephhine", "josephien". The correct spelling is "Josephine".
How do you pronounce "Josephine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Josephine" is /ˈd͡ʒəʊ.zə.fiːn/. 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 "Josephine"?
From French Joséphine, diminutive of Josèphe, feminine form of Joseph. Popularized in English by Josephine Bonaparte, the empress of Napoleonic France. 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 "Josephine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

intrusive#18,861lunchtime#18,877informant#18,858malignant#18,882

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

microbial13 variantsNetanyahu13 variantsFlanders13 variantsplayback13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list