point

/pɔɪnt/

//pɔɪnt// noun

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

"point" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“point” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #265. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#265
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - A small dot or mark.

Corpus desk

Index EN-point · point · English

point · rank #265 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #265
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH making

Nearest frequency peer: making (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “point”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “point” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

point vs pot
60% similar
point vs pon
60% similar
point vs post
60% similar

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

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

Where “point” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around point (IPA /pɔɪnt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #265 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 59 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for point, with forms such as "opint", "piont", and "poinnt". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pot", "pon", "post", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

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… The correct English form is point, spelled P-O-I-N-T.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The stars showed as tiny points of yellow light.
  2. Commas and points they set exactly right.

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

momento(Español)moment(Français)Punkt(Deutsch)ponto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opint
  • piont
  • poinnt
  • pointt
  • poitn
  • ponit
  • ppoint

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opint2piont2poinnt1pointt1poitn2ponit2ppoint1
Edit distance from "point"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "point", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

today#258music#279power#280times#250

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

start7 variantsWater7 variantswomen7 variantsbased7 variants
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list