referendum

Name: referendum, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˌɹɛfəˈɹɛndəm/

//ˌɹɛfəˈɹɛndəm// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“referendum” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,382. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,382
frequency rank, English: 3,094
“R” headwords: 15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A direct popular vote on a proposed law or constitutional amendment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-referendum · referendum · English

referendum · rank #7,382 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-COMMON #7,382
LEN-MEGA 10 letters
VOW-4 4 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 15 variants
BOOK-MID 3,094
PHOTO-FINISH reduces

Nearest frequency peer: reduces (-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.

Raymond

92,622
recalled

92,621
reduces

92,620
referendum

92,619
refugee

92,618
regulated

92,617

What this shows “referendum” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Key facts for referendum
Property	Value
Headword	referendum
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˌɹɛfəˈɹɛndəm/
Letters	10
Frequency rank	#7,382
Misspellings tracked	15
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “referendum”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).referendumlands here:

#7,382

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “reduces” (#7,381), “refugee” (#7,383), “recalled” (#7,380). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “referendum” is #7,382. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around referendum (IPA /ˌɹɛfəˈɹɛndəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,382 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for referendum, with forms such as "erferendum", "reefrendum", and "refeerndum". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin referendum (“that which ought to be announced”), from refero (“to announce”). The correct English form is referendum, spelled R-E-F-E-R-E-N-D-U-M.

Definition

1
A direct popular vote on a proposed law or constitutional amendment.
2
An action, choice, etc., which is perceived as passing judgment on another matter.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

a referendum on …
In some cases, a referendum on the proposed bond issue must be held.

Etymology

From Latin referendum (“that which ought to be announced”), from refero (“to announce”).

This word in other languages

referéndum(Español)référendum(Français)Referendum(Deutsch)referendo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

erferendum
reefrendum
refeerndum
referednum
referenddum
referendmu
referendumm
referenndum
referenudm
refernedum
referrendum
refferendum
refreendum
rfeerendum
rreferendum

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of referendum - 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.

Edit distance from "referendum"

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 "referendum"?

"referendum" is spelled R-E-F-E-R-E-N-D-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɹɛfəˈɹɛndəm/.

What does "referendum" mean?

As a noun, "referendum" means: A direct popular vote on a proposed law or constitutional amendment.

What are common misspellings of "referendum"?

Common misspellings include "erferendum", "reefrendum", "refeerndum", "referednum", "referenddum". The correct spelling is "referendum".

How do you pronounce "referendum"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "referendum" is /ˌɹɛfəˈɹɛndəm/. 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 "referendum"?

From Latin referendum (“that which ought to be announced”), from refero (“to announce”). 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 "referendum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

irrelevant#7,353 capitalism#7,425 compatible#7,432 convincing#7,437

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

manufacture15 variants financially15 variants construct15 variants exceptions15 variants