pavement

/ˈpeɪvm(ə)nt/

//ˈpeɪvm(ə)nt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“pavement” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,824. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,824
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A paved surface; a hard covering on the ground.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pavement · pavement · English

pavement · rank #12,824 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,824
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH paradigm

Nearest frequency peer: paradigm (-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 “pavement”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pavement” 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).

pavement vs payment
75% similar
pavement vs placement
78% similar
pavement vs pavements
89% similar

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

Key facts for pavement
PropertyValue
Headwordpavement
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpeɪvm(ə)nt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#12,824
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pavement”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).pavementlands 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 “paradigm” (#12,823), “payday” (#12,825), “overthrow” (#12,822). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pavement” is #12,824. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around pavement (IPA /ˈpeɪvm(ə)nt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,824 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for pavement, with forms such as "apvement", "paevment", and "paveemnt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "payment", "placement", "pavements", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pament, from Anglo-Norman pavement and reinforced by Middle French pavement; both from Latin pavīmentum (“paved surface or floor”), from pavīre (“to beat, to ram, to tread down”). Morphologically pave + -ment. The correct English form is pavement, spelled P-A-V-E-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A paved surface; a hard covering on the ground.
  2. 2
    A paved path, for the use of pedestrians, located at the side of a road.
  3. 3
    A paving (paved part) of a road or other thoroughfare; the roadway or road surface.
  4. 4
    The paved part of an area other than a road or sidewalk, such as a cobblestone plaza, asphalt schoolyard or playground, or parking lot.
  5. 5
    Interior flooring, especially when of stone, of large buildings.
  6. 6
    Interior flooring, especially when of stone, of large buildings.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The riches of heaven's pavement, trodden gold.
  2. It was a cold and rainy afternoon as Ethel Churchill sat at the window of their new abode, a house in one of the streets leading from the Strand to the river. It was the day after their arrival, and nothing could well be more gloomy than the view: the pavement was wet, and a yellow mist obscured every object,...

Etymology

From Middle English pament, from Anglo-Norman pavement and reinforced by Middle French pavement; both from Latin pavīmentum (“paved surface or floor”), from pavīre (“to beat, to ram, to tread down”). Morphologically pave + -ment.

This word in other languages

pavimento(Español)revêtement(Français)Asphalt(Deutsch)pavimento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apvement
  • paevment
  • paveemnt
  • pavemennt
  • pavementt
  • pavemetn
  • pavemment
  • pavemnet
  • pavmeent
  • pavvement
  • ppavement
  • pvaement

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apvement2paevment2paveemnt2pavemennt1pavementt1pavemetn2pavemment1pavemnet2
Edit distance from "pavement"

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 "pavement"?
"pavement" is spelled P-A-V-E-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpeɪvm(ə)nt/.
What does "pavement" mean?
As a noun, "pavement" means: A paved surface; a hard covering on the ground.
What words are commonly confused with "pavement"?
"pavement" is commonly confused with "payment", "placement", "pavements". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pavement"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pavement" is /ˈpeɪvm(ə)nt/. 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 "pavement"?
From Middle English pament, from Anglo-Norman pavement and reinforced by Middle French pavement; both from Latin pavīmentum (“paved surface or floor”), from pavīre (“to beat, to ram, to tread down”). Morphologically pave + -ment. 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 "pavement", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

paradigm#12,823novelist#12,817playlist#12,831nobody's#12,815

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

reformed12 variantsknockout12 variantsresisted12 variantsinterrupt12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list