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partner

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

7 characters

Language

English

word origin

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "partner", 7-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 "partner" 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 "partner" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

partner is aEnglishnoun. It means: Either of a pair of people or things that belong together. Pronounced /ˈpɑːt.nə(ɹ)/. It ranks #1,532 in English word frequency. Often confused with porter and patter.

Key facts for partner
PropertyValue
Headwordpartner
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɑːt.nə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,532
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of partner in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for partner is 7 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɑːt.nə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,532 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 11 documented wrong-spelling variants for partner, with forms such as "aprtner", "parnter", and "parrtner". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "porter", "patter", "partners", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English partener, partiner, alteration (due to Middle English part) of Middle English parcener, from Old French parçonier, parçonneour (“joint heir”) from parçon (“partition”), from Latin partītiōnem, singular accusative of partītiō (“portion”).… 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 partner, spelled P-A-R-T-N-E-R, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Either of a pair of people or things that belong together.
  2. 2
    Someone who is associated with another in a common activity or interest.
  3. 3
    Someone who is associated with another in a common activity or interest.
  4. 4
    Someone who is associated with another in a common activity or interest.
  5. 5
    Someone who is associated with another in a common activity or interest.
  6. 6
    Someone who is associated with another in a common activity or interest.
  7. 7
    One of the pieces of wood comprising the framework which strengthens the deck of a wooden ship around the holes through which the mast and other fittings pass.
  8. 8
    A group financial arrangement in which each member contributes a set amount of money over a set period.

Etymology

From Middle English partener, partiner, alteration (due to Middle English part) of Middle English parcener, from Old French parçonier, parçonneour (“joint heir”) from parçon (“partition”), from Latin partītiōnem, singular accusative of partītiō (“portion”). The word may also represent Old French part tenour (“part holder”). Compare also Middle English partifere (“partner”), partifelewe (“partner”). Doublet of parcener.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aprtner,parnter,parrtner,partenr,partnerr,partnner,partnre,parttner,patrner,ppartner,pratner

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for partner

Misspelling Variants of "partner"

aprtner7parnter7parrtner8partenr7partnerr8partnner8partnre7parttner8
Misspelling Variants of "partner"

Frequency rank: #1,532 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "partner"?
"partner" is spelled P-A-R-T-N-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɑːt.nə(ɹ)/.
What does "partner" mean?
As a noun, "partner" means: Either of a pair of people or things that belong together.
What words are commonly confused with "partner"?
"partner" is commonly confused with "porter", "patter", "partners". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "partner"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "partner" is /ˈpɑːt.nə(ɹ)/. 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 "partner"?
From Middle English partener, partiner, alteration (due to Middle English part) of Middle English parcener, from Old French parçonier, parçonneour (“joint heir”) from parçon (“partition”), from Latin partītiōnem, singular accusative of partītiō (“... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter P in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.