pronounce

/pɹəˈnaʊns/

//pɹəˈnaʊns// verb

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

"pronounce" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pronounce” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,946. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,946
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To declare formally, officially or ceremoniously.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pronounce · pronounce · English

pronounce · rank #11,946 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,946
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH proceeding

Nearest frequency peer: proceeding (-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 “pronounce”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pronounce” 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).

pronounce vs pronounced
90% similar
pronounce vs pronoun
78% similar

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

Key facts for pronounce
PropertyValue
Headwordpronounce
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɹəˈnaʊns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#11,946
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pronounce”

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).pronouncelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “proceeding” (#11,945), “proportions” (#11,947), “prevalence” (#11,944). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pronounce” is #11,946. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around pronounce (IPA /pɹəˈnaʊns/), averb. Corpus frequency is #11,946 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for pronounce, with forms such as "pornounce", "ppronounce", and "prnoounce". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "pronounced", "pronoun", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Recorded since c.1330 as Middle English pronouncen (“to utter, declare officially”), from Old French prononcier, from Latin prōnūntiō, itself from prō- (“forth, out, in public”) + nūntiō (“to announce”) from nūntius (“messenger”). The correct English form is pronounce, spelled P-R-O-N-O-U-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To declare formally, officially or ceremoniously.
  2. 2
    To declare authoritatively, or as a formal expert opinion.
  3. 3
    To declare authoritatively, or as a formal expert opinion.
  4. 4
    To pass judgment.
  5. 5
    To sound out (a word or phrase); to articulate.
  6. 6
    To sound out (a word or phrase); to articulate.
  7. 7
    To produce the components of speech.
  8. 8
    To read aloud.
  9. 9
    To emphasize, highlight.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, […], down the nave to the western door. […] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer.
  2. I hereby pronounce you man and wife.

Etymology

Recorded since c.1330 as Middle English pronouncen (“to utter, declare officially”), from Old French prononcier, from Latin prōnūntiō, itself from prō- (“forth, out, in public”) + nūntiō (“to announce”) from nūntius (“messenger”).

This word in other languages

pronunciar(Español)déclarer(Français)verkünden(Deutsch)declarar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pornounce
  • ppronounce
  • prnoounce
  • pronnounce
  • prononuce
  • pronoucne
  • pronouncce
  • pronounec
  • pronounnce
  • pronuonce
  • proonunce
  • prronounce
  • rponounce

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pornounce2ppronounce1prnoounce2pronnounce1prononuce2pronoucne2pronouncce1pronounec2
Edit distance from "pronounce"

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 "pronounce"?
"pronounce" is spelled P-R-O-N-O-U-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəˈnaʊns/.
What does "pronounce" mean?
As a verb, "pronounce" means: To declare formally, officially or ceremoniously.
What words are commonly confused with "pronounce"?
"pronounce" is commonly confused with "pronounced", "pronoun". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pronounce"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pronounce" is /pɹəˈnaʊns/. 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 "pronounce"?
Recorded since c.1330 as Middle English pronouncen (“to utter, declare officially”), from Old French prononcier, from Latin prōnūntiō, itself from prō- (“forth, out, in public”) + nūntiō (“to announce”) from nūntius (“messenger”). 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 "pronounce", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

saturated#11,960maternity#11,914stupidity#11,980versatile#11,995

Similar misspelling depth

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

smashing13 variantsmornings13 variantsstumbled13 variantstangible13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list