Powys
/ˈpəʊ.ɪs/
"powys" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Powys” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #33,372 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.
- #33,372
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A county and preserved county of Wales. Headquarters: Llandrindod Wells.
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 | Powys |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /ˈpəʊ.ɪs/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #33,372 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Powys” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for Powys is 5 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpəʊ.ɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #33,372 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for Powys, with forms such as "opwys", "powsy", and "powwys". 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, "prays", "pos", "POW", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Welsh Powys, from Latin pagēnsis (“provincial”). Cognate with Italian paese and French pays (“country”). The correct English form is Powys, spelled P-O-W-Y-S.
Definition
- 1A county and preserved county of Wales. Headquarters: Llandrindod Wells.
- 2A habitational surname from Welsh.
- 3A historical kingdom of Wales, in the middle of the country.
Etymology
Borrowed from Welsh Powys, from Latin pagēnsis (“provincial”). Cognate with Italian paese and French pays (“country”).
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: opwys,powsy,powwys,powyss,powyys,poyws,ppowys,pwoys
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Powys - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "Powys"?
What does "Powys" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "Powys"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Powys”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-O-W-Y-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpəʊ.ɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “prays” - see the side-by-side comparison. Powys vs prays
- 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.