number
Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.
Letters
6 characters
Language
English
word origin
Source
Wiktionary
open dictionary
Access
Free
no sign-up needed
Detailed reference entry for the English word "number", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "number" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "number" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
number is aEnglishnoun. It means: Quantity. Pronounced /ˈnʌmbər/. It ranks #216 in English word frequency. Often confused with nutter and Numbers.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | number |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈnʌmbər/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #216 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency rank visualization
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for number is 6 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈnʌmbər/. Corpus data places it at rank #216 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language.Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 9 documented wrong-spelling variants for number, with forms such as "nmuber", "nnumber", and "nubmer". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "nutter", "Numbers", "numbered", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English number, nombre, numbre, noumbre, from Anglo-Norman noumbre, Old French nombre, from Latin numerus (“number”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nem- (“to divide”). Compare Saterland Frisian Nummer, Nuumer, West Frisian nûmer, Dutch nu… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is number, spelled N-U-M-B-E-R, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1Quantity.
- 2An abstract entity used to describe quantity.
- 3A numeral: a symbol for a non-negative integer.
- 4An element of one of several sets: natural numbers, integers, rational numbers, real numbers, complex numbers, and sometimes extensions such as hypercomplex numbers, etc.
- 5Indicating the position of something in a list or sequence. Abbreviations: No or No., no or no. (in each case, sometimes written with a superscript "o", like Nº or №). The symbol "#" is also used in this manner.
- 6A sequence of digits and letters used to register people, automobiles, and various other items.
- 7A telephone number.
- 8Of a word or phrase, the state of being singular, dual or plural, shown by inflection.
- 9Poetic metres; verses, rhymes.
- 10A performance; especially, a single song or song and dance routine within a larger show.
- 11A group of people.
- 12A person.
- 13An outfit, particularly a stylish one.
- 14A marijuana cigarette, or joint; also, a quantity of marijuana bought from a dealer.
- 15An issue of a periodical publication.
- 16A large amount, in contrast to a smaller amount; numerical preponderance.
- 17An activity; assignment; job, as in cushy number.
Etymology
From Middle English number, nombre, numbre, noumbre, from Anglo-Norman noumbre, Old French nombre, from Latin numerus (“number”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nem- (“to divide”). Compare Saterland Frisian Nummer, Nuumer, West Frisian nûmer, Dutch nummer (“number”), German Nummer (“number”), Danish nummer (“number”), Swedish nummer (“number”), Icelandic númer (“number”). Replaced Middle English ȝetæl and rime, more at tell, tale and rhyme.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: nmuber,nnumber,nubmer,numbber,numberr,numbre,numebr,nummber,unmber
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
Relative frequency of common misspelling types for number
Misspelling Variants of "number"
Frequency rank: #216 in English
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "number"?
What does "number" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "number"?
How do you pronounce "number"?
What is the origin of the word "number"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter N in our English index: