powder
/ˈpaʊ.də(ɹ)/
"powder" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“powder” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,699 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #4,699
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 17
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The fine particles which are the result of reducing a dry substance by pounding, grinding, or triturating, or the result of decay; dust.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | powder |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpaʊ.də(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #4,699 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 17 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “powder” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for powder is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpaʊ.də(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,699 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for powder, with forms such as "opwder", "podwer", and "powdder". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "power", "Powers", "powders", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English poudre, pouder, pouldre, borrowed from Old French poudre, poldre, puldre, from Latin pulverem, accusative singular of Latin pulvis (“dust, powder”). Doublet of pulver. Compare pollen (“fine flour”), polverine, pulverize. The correct English form is powder, spelled P-O-W-D-E-R.
Definition
- 1The fine particles which are the result of reducing a dry substance by pounding, grinding, or triturating, or the result of decay; dust.
- 2A mixture of fine dry, sweet-smelling particles applied to the face or other body parts, to reduce shine or to alleviate chaffing.
- 3An explosive mixture used in gunnery, blasting, etc.; gunpowder.
- 4Ellipsis of powder snow; light, dry, fluffy snow.
- 5Ellipsis of powder blue, a color.
Etymology
From Middle English poudre, pouder, pouldre, borrowed from Old French poudre, poldre, puldre, from Latin pulverem, accusative singular of Latin pulvis (“dust, powder”). Doublet of pulver. Compare pollen (“fine flour”), polverine, pulverize.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: opwder,podwer,powdder,powderr,powdre,powedr,powwder,ppowder,pwoder
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of powder - 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.
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
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Using “powder”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-O-W-D-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpaʊ.də(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “power” - see the side-by-side comparison. powder vs power
- 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.