poison

/ˈpɔɪ.zən/

//ˈpɔɪ.zən// noun

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

"poison" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“poison” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,282 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,282
frequency rank, English
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism when ingested.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

poison vs poon
67% similar
poison vs prison
83% similar
poison vs potion
67% similar

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

Key facts for poison
PropertyValue
Headwordpoison
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɔɪ.zən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,282
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “poison” 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). poison lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for poison is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɔɪ.zən/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,282 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for poison, with forms such as "opison", "pioson", and "poiosn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "poon", "prison", "potion", 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 poysoun, poyson, pusoun, from Old French poison, poisun, from Latin pōtiōnem (“drink, a draught, a poisonous draught, a potion”), from pōtō (“I drink”). See also potion and potable (from the same root). Mostly displaced native Old Englis… The correct English form is poison, spelled P-O-I-S-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism when ingested.
  2. 2
    Anything harmful to a person or thing.
  3. 3
    An alcoholic drink. (Mainly in the phrases "name your poison" and "what's your poison?")
  4. 4
    Any substance that inhibits catalytic activity.

Etymology

From Middle English poysoun, poyson, pusoun, from Old French poison, poisun, from Latin pōtiōnem (“drink, a draught, a poisonous draught, a potion”), from pōtō (“I drink”). See also potion and potable (from the same root). Mostly displaced native Old English ātor. See more at atter.

This word in other languages

veneno(Español)poison(Français)Gift(Deutsch)veneno(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: opison,pioson,poiosn,poisno,poisonn,posion,ppoison

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opison2pioson2poiosn2poisno2poisonn1posion2ppoison1
Edit distance from "poison"

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 "poison"?
"poison" is spelled P-O-I-S-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɔɪ.zən/.
What does "poison" mean?
As a noun, "poison" means: A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism when ingested.
What words are commonly confused with "poison"?
"poison" is commonly confused with "poon", "prison", "potion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "poison"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poison" is /ˈpɔɪ.zən/. 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 "poison"?
From Middle English poysoun, poyson, pusoun, from Old French poison, poisun, from Latin pōtiōnem (“drink, a draught, a poisonous draught, a potion”), from pōtō (“I drink”). See also potion and potable (from the same root). Mostly displaced native ... 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.

Using “poison”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-I-S-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɔɪ.zən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “poon” - see the side-by-side comparison. poison vs poon
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list