power

/ˈpaʊ̯ə̯/

//ˈpaʊ̯ə̯// noun

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

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

The verdict

“power” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #280. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#280
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The ability to do or undergo something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-power · power · English

power · rank #280 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #280
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH music

Nearest frequency peer: music (-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 “power”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “power” 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 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

power vs Powys
40% similar
power vs proper
67% similar
power vs Powers
67% similar

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

Key facts for power
PropertyValue
Headwordpower
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpaʊ̯ə̯/
Letters5
Frequency rank#280
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “power” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).powerlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “music” (#279), “seen” (#281), “including” (#278). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around power (IPA /ˈpaʊ̯ə̯/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #280 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 22 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for power, with forms such as "opwer", "poewr", and "powerr". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Powys", "proper", "Powers", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pótis Proto-Italic *potis Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésmi Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- Proto-Indo-European *bʰúHt Proto-Italic *som Proto-Italic *possom Latin posseder. Vulgar Latin potēre Old French … The correct English form is power, spelled P-O-W-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The ability to do or undergo something.
  2. 2
    The ability to coerce, influence, or control.
  3. 3
    The ability to coerce, influence, or control.
  4. 4
    The ability to coerce, influence, or control.
  5. 5
    The ability to coerce, influence, or control.
  6. 6
    The ability to coerce, influence, or control.
  7. 7
    The ability to coerce, influence, or control.
  8. 8
    Strength, energy.
  9. 9
    Strength, energy.
  10. 10
    Strength, energy.
  11. 11
    Strength, energy.
  12. 12
    Strength, energy.
  13. 13
    Strength, energy.
  14. 14
    A large amount or number.
  15. 15
    Any of the elementary forms or parts of machines: three primary (the lever, inclined plane, and pulley) and three secondary (the wheel-and-axle, wedge, and screw).
  16. 16
    A tractor.
  17. 17
    A measure of the effectiveness that a force producing a physical effect has over time. If linear, the quotient of: (force multiplied by the displacement of or in an object) ÷ time. If rotational, the quotient of: (force multiplied by the angle of displacement) ÷ time.
  18. 18
    A product of equal factors (and generalizations of this notion): xⁿ, read as "x to the power of n" or the like, is called a power and denotes the product x×x×⋯×x, where x appears n times in the product; x is called the base and n the exponent.
  19. 19
    Cardinality.
  20. 20
    The probability that a statistical test will reject the null hypothesis when the alternative hypothesis is true.
  21. 21
    In Christian angelology, an intermediate level of angels, ranked above archangels, but exact position varies by classification scheme.
  22. 22
    A bonus point awarded for answering correctly before a certain part of the tossup is read.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He has lost the power to speak.
  2. On June 8, 1872, the London & North Western Railway obtained powers to quadruple its main line, and a new tunnel was bored for the up and down slow lines.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pótis Proto-Italic *potis Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésmi Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- Proto-Indo-European *bʰúHt Proto-Italic *som Proto-Italic *possom Latin posseder. Vulgar Latin potēre Old French pooir Anglo-Norman poerbor. Middle English power English power From Middle English power, poer, from Old French poeir, from Vulgar Latin potēre, from Latin posse, whence English potent. Compare French pouvoir. Displaced the native Old English anweald.

Synonyms

aptitudearmauthoritycapabilitycapacitycloutcommandcompetencecompetencycontroldominionenergyforcegripholdinfluencemainmasterymightmusclepotencypullsinewstrengthswayvigorwaldweightdispositioncraftpotencepowervirtue

Antonyms

impotenceweakness

This word in other languages

poder(Español)pouvoir(Français)Macht(Deutsch)poder(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opwer
  • poewr
  • powerr
  • powre
  • powwer
  • ppower
  • pwoer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of power - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

opwer2poewr2powerr1powre2powwer1ppower1pwoer2
Edit distance from "power"

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 "power"?
"power" is spelled P-O-W-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpaʊ̯ə̯/.
What does "power" mean?
As a noun, "power" means: The ability to do or undergo something.
What words are commonly confused with "power"?
"power" is commonly confused with "Powys", "proper", "Powers". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "power"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "power" is /ˈpaʊ̯ə̯/. 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 "power"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pótis Proto-Italic *potis Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésmi Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- Proto-Indo-European *bʰúHt Proto-Italic *som Proto-Italic *possom Latin posseder. Vulgar Latin potēre O... 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 "power", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

music#279Water#284based#285small#291

Similar misspelling depth

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

white7 variantspoint7 variantstoday7 variantsorder7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "power". Here's where to go from here.

  • "power" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Powys". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #280 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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