pardon

/ˈpɑːdn̩/

//ˈpɑːdn̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“pardon” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,377. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,377
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Forgiveness for an offence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pardon · pardon · English

pardon · rank #9,377 · 9 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,377
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH overlooked

Nearest frequency peer: overlooked (-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 “pardon”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pardon” 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).

pardon vs Paton
50% similar
pardon vs person
67% similar
pardon vs patron
67% similar

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

Key facts for pardon
PropertyValue
Headwordpardon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɑːdn̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#9,377
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pardon”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).pardonlands 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 “overlooked” (#9,376), “offerings” (#9,375), “persuade” (#9,379). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pardon” is #9,377. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around pardon (IPA /ˈpɑːdn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,377 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for pardon, with forms such as "aprdon", "padron", and "parddon". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "Paton", "person", "patron", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pardonen, from Old French pardoner (modern French pardonner), from Late Latin perdonare, from per- + donare, possibly a calque (if not vice-versa) of a Germanic word represented by Frankish *firgeban (“to forgive, give up completely”), f… The correct English form is pardon, spelled P-A-R-D-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Forgiveness for an offence.
  2. 2
    An order that releases a convicted criminal without further punishment, prevents future punishment, or (in some jurisdictions) removes an offence from a person's criminal record, as if it had never been committed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] a step, that could not be taken with the least hope of ever obtaining pardon from or reconciliation with any of my friends; […]
  2. According to this logic, the pardons Balteira gained on her pilgrimage should have revirginated her, and would have if she had an 'iron box', or a firm dedication to her Christian faith, with which to guard her chastity.”

Etymology

From Middle English pardonen, from Old French pardoner (modern French pardonner), from Late Latin perdonare, from per- + donare, possibly a calque (if not vice-versa) of a Germanic word represented by Frankish *firgeban (“to forgive, give up completely”), from *fir- + *geban. Akin to Old High German fargeban, firgeban (“to forgive”), Old English forġiefan (“to forgive”). More at forgive.

This word in other languages

perdón(Español)pardon(Français)Vergebung(Deutsch)perdão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aprdon
  • padron
  • parddon
  • pardno
  • pardonn
  • parodn
  • parrdon
  • ppardon
  • pradon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aprdon2padron2parddon1pardno2pardonn1parodn2parrdon1ppardon1
Edit distance from "pardon"

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 "pardon"?
"pardon" is spelled P-A-R-D-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɑːdn̩/.
What does "pardon" mean?
As a noun, "pardon" means: Forgiveness for an offence.
What words are commonly confused with "pardon"?
"pardon" is commonly confused with "Paton", "person", "patron". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pardon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pardon" is /ˈpɑːdn̩/. 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 "pardon"?
From Middle English pardonen, from Old French pardoner (modern French pardonner), from Late Latin perdonare, from per- + donare, possibly a calque (if not vice-versa) of a Germanic word represented by Frankish *firgeban (“to forgive, give up compl... 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 "pardon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

poured#9,381nickel#9,370remedy#9,392replay#9,393

Similar misspelling depth

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

premise9 variantsMessing9 variantsjoints9 variantshacked9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list