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point

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

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Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "point", 5-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 "point" 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 "point" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

point is aEnglishnoun. It means: A small dot or mark. Pronounced /pɔɪnt/. It ranks #265 in English word frequency. Often confused with pot and pon.

Key facts for point
PropertyValue
Headwordpoint
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɔɪnt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#265
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

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

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for point is 5 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɔɪnt/. Corpus data places it at rank #265 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language.Wiktionary records 59 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 7 documented wrong-spelling variants for point, with forms such as "opint", "piont", and "poinnt". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pot", "pon", "post", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English poynt, from Old French point m (“dot; minute amount”), from Latin pūnctum (“a hole punched in; a point, puncture”), substantive use of pūnctus m, perfect passive participle of pungō (“I prick, punch”); alternatively, from Old French poin… 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 point, spelled P-O-I-N-T, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small dot or mark.
  2. 2
    A small dot or mark.
  3. 3
    A small dot or mark.
  4. 4
    A small dot or mark.
  5. 5
    A small dot or mark.
  6. 6
    A small dot or mark.
  7. 7
    A small dot or mark.
  8. 8
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  9. 9
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  10. 10
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  11. 11
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  12. 12
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  13. 13
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  14. 14
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  15. 15
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  16. 16
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  17. 17
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  18. 18
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  19. 19
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  20. 20
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  21. 21
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  22. 22
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  23. 23
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  24. 24
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  25. 25
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  26. 26
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  27. 27
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  28. 28
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  29. 29
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  30. 30
    A small discrete division or individual feature of something.
  31. 31
    A sharp extremity.
  32. 32
    A sharp extremity.
  33. 33
    A sharp extremity.
  34. 34
    A sharp extremity.
  35. 35
    A sharp extremity.
  36. 36
    A sharp extremity.
  37. 37
    A sharp extremity.
  38. 38
    A sharp extremity.
  39. 39
    A sharp extremity.
  40. 40
    A sharp extremity.
  41. 41
    A sharp extremity.
  42. 42
    A sharp extremity.
  43. 43
    A sharp extremity.
  44. 44
    A sharp extremity.
  45. 45
    A sharp extremity.
  46. 46
    A sharp extremity.
  47. 47
    A sharp extremity.
  48. 48
    The act of pointing.
  49. 49
    The act of pointing.
  50. 50
    The act of pointing.
  51. 51
    The act of pointing.
  52. 52
    The act of pointing.
  53. 53
    A short piece of cordage used in reefing sails.
  54. 54
    A string or lace used to tie together certain garments.
  55. 55
    Lace worked by the needle.
  56. 56
    In various sports, a position of a certain player, or, by extension, the player occupying that position.
  57. 57
    In various sports, a position of a certain player, or, by extension, the player occupying that position.
  58. 58
    In various sports, a position of a certain player, or, by extension, the player occupying that position.
  59. 59
    In various sports, a position of a certain player, or, by extension, the player occupying that position.

Etymology

From Middle English poynt, from Old French point m (“dot; minute amount”), from Latin pūnctum (“a hole punched in; a point, puncture”), substantive use of pūnctus m, perfect passive participle of pungō (“I prick, punch”); alternatively, from Old French pointe f (“sharp tip”), from Latin pūncta f (past participle), all from Proto-Italic *pungō (“to sting, prick”). Mostly displaced native Middle English ord (“point”), from Old English ord (“point”). Doublet of pointe, ponto, puncto, punctum, punt, and punto.

Synonyms

locationplacepositionspotordmomentordtimeendordtipspotdecimal pointopinionpoint of viewviewviewpointmark

This word in other languages

Spanish(Español)Portuguese(Português)French(Français)German(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: opint,piont,poinnt,pointt,poitn,ponit,ppoint

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for point

Misspelling Variants of "point"

opint5piont5poinnt6pointt6poitn5ponit5ppoint6
Misspelling Variants of "point"

Frequency rank: #265 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "point"?
"point" is spelled P-O-I-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /pɔɪnt/.
What does "point" mean?
As a noun, "point" means: A small dot or mark.
What words are commonly confused with "point"?
"point" is commonly confused with "pot", "pon", "post". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "point"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "point" is /pɔɪnt/. 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 "point"?
From Middle English poynt, from Old French point m (“dot; minute amount”), from Latin pūnctum (“a hole punched in; a point, puncture”), substantive use of pūnctus m, perfect passive participle of pungō (“I prick, punch”); alternatively, from Old F... 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.

Nearby English words

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

All "P" wordsABCDEFGHIJKL

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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.