password

/ˈpæs.wɜɹd/

//ˈpæs.wɜɹd// noun

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

"password" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“password” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,498. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,498
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A word relayed to a person to gain admittance to a place or to gain access to information.

Corpus desk

Index EN-password · password · English

password · rank #6,498 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,498
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH panels

Nearest frequency peer: panels (-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 “password”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “password” 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).

password vs passport
75% similar

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

Key facts for password
PropertyValue
Headwordpassword
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpæs.wɜɹd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#6,498
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “password”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).passwordlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “panels” (#6,497), “packing” (#6,496), “politically” (#6,500). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “password” is #6,498. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around password (IPA /ˈpæs.wɜɹd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,498 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for password, with forms such as "apssword", "passowrd", and "passwodr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "passport", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From pass + word. The sentry-passing sense predates the cryptographic sense and was its inspiration. The correct English form is password, spelled P-A-S-S-W-O-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A word relayed to a person to gain admittance to a place or to gain access to information.
  2. 2
    A string of characters used to log in to a computer or network, to access a level in a video game, and so on; archetypally a word but nowadays often an alphanumeric string or a phrase.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Only if a would-be visitor knew the password du jour could he pass; the guards allowed no exceptions.
  2. A strong password has a mixture of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and punctuation marks.

Etymology

From pass + word. The sentry-passing sense predates the cryptographic sense and was its inspiration.

Synonyms

watchwordunderwordpasscodekeywordabbreviations: pwpwdpwordpass

This word in other languages

contraseña(Español)mot de passe(Français)Codewort(Deutsch)senha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apssword
  • passowrd
  • passwodr
  • passwordd
  • passworrd
  • passwrod
  • passwword
  • pasword
  • paswsord
  • ppassword
  • psasword

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of password - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

apssword2passowrd2passwodr2passwordd1passworrd1passwrod2passwword1pasword1
Edit distance from "password"

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 "password"?
"password" is spelled P-A-S-S-W-O-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpæs.wɜɹd/.
What does "password" mean?
As a noun, "password" means: A word relayed to a person to gain admittance to a place or to gain access to information.
What words are commonly confused with "password"?
"password" is commonly confused with "passport". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "password"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "password" is /ˈpæs.wɜɹd/. 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 "password"?
From pass + word. The sentry-passing sense predates the cryptographic sense and was its inspiration. 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 "password", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Nigerian#6,493intimate#6,487rational#6,511insisted#6,483

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

packing11 variantslifting11 variantslaundry11 variantsreforms11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list