powder

/ˈpaʊ.də(ɹ)/

//ˈpaʊ.də(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“powder” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,699. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,699
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The fine particles which are the result of reducing a dry substance by pounding, grinding, or triturating, or the result of decay; dust.

Corpus desk

Index EN-powder · powder · English

powder · rank #4,699 · 9 variants · 17 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,699
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH poem

Nearest frequency peer: poem (-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 “powder”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “powder” 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).

powder vs power
83% similar
powder vs Powers
50% similar
powder vs powders
86% similar

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

Key facts for powder
PropertyValue
Headwordpowder
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpaʊ.də(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,699
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “powder”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).powderlands 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 “poem” (#4,698), “powered” (#4,700), “pissed” (#4,697). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “powder” is #4,699. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around powder (IPA /ˈpaʊ.də(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,699 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    The fine particles which are the result of reducing a dry substance by pounding, grinding, or triturating, or the result of decay; dust.
  2. 2
    A mixture of fine dry, sweet-smelling particles applied to the face or other body parts, to reduce shine or to alleviate chaffing.
  3. 3
    An explosive mixture used in gunnery, blasting, etc.; gunpowder.
  4. 4
    Ellipsis of powder snow; light, dry, fluffy snow.
  5. 5
    Ellipsis of powder blue, a color.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Let me goe grin'd their Bones to powder ſmall, […]
  2. Let them stop fretting about vegetables denied by the weather and eat chilli powder. Just explain to them that they really shouldn’t think about spiralising it, because that doesn’t work.

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

polvo(Español)poudre(Français)Puder(Deutsch)pó(Português)

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.

opwder2podwer2powdder1powderr1powdre2powedr2powwder1ppowder1
Edit distance from "powder"

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 "powder"?
"powder" is spelled P-O-W-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpaʊ.də(ɹ)/.
What does "powder" mean?
As a noun, "powder" means: The fine particles which are the result of reducing a dry substance by pounding, grinding, or triturating, or the result of decay; dust.
What words are commonly confused with "powder"?
"powder" is commonly confused with "power", "Powers", "powders". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "powder"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "powder" is /ˈpaʊ.də(ɹ)/. 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 "powder"?
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. 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 "powder", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pissed#4,697quotes#4,702oxygen#4,695racism#4,703

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

lonely9 variantsspider9 variantsjumped9 variantshosted9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list