ransom
/ˈɹæn.səm/
"ransom" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ransom” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,588 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #11,588
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Money paid for the freeing of a hostage.
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 | ransom |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹæn.səm/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #11,588 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ransom” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for ransom is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹæn.səm/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,588 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 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for ransom, with forms such as "arnsom", "rannsom", and "ranosm". 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, "ronson", "random", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the Middle English ransoun, from the Old French raençon, from stem of Latin redēmptiō. Entered English ca. the 13th century. Doublet of redemption. The correct English form is ransom, spelled R-A-N-S-O-M.
Definition
- 1Money paid for the freeing of a hostage.
- 2The release of a captive, or of captured property, by payment of a consideration.
- 3A sum paid for the pardon of some great offence and the discharge of the offender; also, a fine paid in lieu of corporal punishment.
Etymology
From the Middle English ransoun, from the Old French raençon, from stem of Latin redēmptiō. Entered English ca. the 13th century. Doublet of redemption.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: arnsom,rannsom,ranosm,ransmo,ransomm,ranssom,rasnom,rnasom,rransom
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ransom - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “ransom”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-A-N-S-O-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹæn.səm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “ronson” - see the side-by-side comparison. ransom vs ronson
- 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.