pregnant

/ˈpɹɛɡnənt/

//ˈpɹɛɡnənt// adj

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

"pregnant" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pregnant” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,695. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,695
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Carrying developing offspring within the body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pregnant · pregnant · English

pregnant · rank #2,695 · 13 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,695
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH perspective

Nearest frequency peer: perspective (-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 “pregnant”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pregnant” 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).

pregnant vs pennant
75% similar
pregnant vs poignant
75% similar
pregnant vs pregnancy
78% similar

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

Key facts for pregnant
PropertyValue
Headwordpregnant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɹɛɡnənt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,695
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pregnant”

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).pregnantlands 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 “perspective” (#2,694), “premier” (#2,696), “personnel” (#2,693). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pregnant” is #2,695. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around pregnant (IPA /ˈpɹɛɡnənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,695 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for pregnant, with forms such as "pergnant", "ppregnant", and "pregannt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "pennant", "poignant", "pregnancy", 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 preignant, from Old French preignant, pregnant, also prenant (compare archaic Modern French prégnant), and their source, Latin praegnāns (“pregnant”), probably from prae- (“pre-”) + *gnāscī, an archaic form of nāscī (“to be born”). Displ… The correct English form is pregnant, spelled P-R-E-G-N-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Carrying developing offspring within the body.
  2. 2
    Carrying developing offspring within the body.
  3. 3
    Meaningful, having numerous possibilities or implications; full of promise; abounding in ability, resources, etc.
  4. 4
    Fecund, fertile, prolific (usually of soil, ground, etc.).
  5. 5
    Affording entrance; receptive; yielding; willing; open; prompt.
  6. 6
    Ready-witted; clever; ingenious.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I went to the doctor and, guess what, I’m five weeks pregnant!
  2. I became pregnant in July 2014.

Etymology

From Middle English preignant, from Old French preignant, pregnant, also prenant (compare archaic Modern French prégnant), and their source, Latin praegnāns (“pregnant”), probably from prae- (“pre-”) + *gnāscī, an archaic form of nāscī (“to be born”). Displaced Old English bearnēacen (literally "child-enlarged").

Synonyms

expectingexpecting a babyexpectantgravidwith childfertilizedgoneeating for twohaving a bun in the ovenin the family wayknocked uppreggersup the duffup the spoutin an interesting conditionin the family waymeaningfulsignificantbigcarryingchild-greatdelicateenceintefullgestatinggreathave a bun in the ovenheavyhormonalin a family wayin the clubin the pudding clubpregpregspreggiepreggopregnantpuppedquickup the kyteup the stickup the stump

Antonyms

impregnantnonpregnantpseudopregnantunpregnant

This word in other languages

embarazado(Español)enceinte(Français)schwanger(Deutsch)grávida(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pergnant
  • ppregnant
  • pregannt
  • preggnant
  • pregnannt
  • pregnantt
  • pregnatn
  • pregnnant
  • pregnnat
  • prengant
  • prgenant
  • prregnant
  • rpegnant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pergnant2ppregnant1pregannt2preggnant1pregnannt1pregnantt1pregnatn2pregnnant1
Edit distance from "pregnant"

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 "pregnant"?
"pregnant" is spelled P-R-E-G-N-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɛɡnənt/.
What does "pregnant" mean?
As an adjective, "pregnant" means: Carrying developing offspring within the body.
What words are commonly confused with "pregnant"?
"pregnant" is commonly confused with "pennant", "poignant", "pregnancy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pregnant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pregnant" is /ˈpɹɛɡnənt/. 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 "pregnant"?
From Middle English preignant, from Old French preignant, pregnant, also prenant (compare archaic Modern French prégnant), and their source, Latin praegnāns (“pregnant”), probably from prae- (“pre-”) + *gnāscī, an archaic form of nāscī (“to be bor... 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 "pregnant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

partners#2,690sleeping#2,702identify#2,682catholic#2,718

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

exclusive13 variantsopposition13 variantsstronger13 variantsconstant13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list