renew

/ɹɪˈnjuː/

//ɹɪˈnjuː// verb

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

"renew" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“renew” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,753. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,753
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make (something) new again; to restore to freshness or original condition.

Corpus desk

Index EN-renew · renew · English

renew · rank #10,753 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,753
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reminding

Nearest frequency peer: reminding (-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 “renew”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “renew” 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).

renew vs rent
60% similar
renew vs reno
60% similar
renew vs rune
60% similar

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

Key facts for renew
PropertyValue
Headwordrenew
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈnjuː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,753
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “renew”

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).renewlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “reminding” (#10,752), “resemble” (#10,754), “regain” (#10,751). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “renew” is #10,753. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around renew (IPA /ɹɪˈnjuː/), averb. Corpus frequency is #10,753 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for renew, with forms such as "ernew", "reenw", and "reneww". 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, "rent", "reno", "rune", and more, 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 renewen, an alteration (possibly on analogy with Latin renovāre) of earlier anewen (“to renew”), from Old English nīewian (“to restore; renovate; renew”), equivalent to re- + new. Cognate with Old High German giniuwōn (“to renew”), Middl… The correct English form is renew, spelled R-E-N-E-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make (something) new again; to restore to freshness or original condition.
  2. 2
    To replace (something which has broken etc.); to replenish (something which has been exhausted), to keep up a required supply of.
  3. 3
    To make new spiritually; to regenerate.
  4. 4
    To become new, or as new; to revive.
  5. 5
    To begin again; to recommence.
  6. 6
    To repeat.
  7. 7
    To extend a period of loan, especially a library book that is due to be returned.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In such a night Medea gather’d the enchanted herbs That did renew old Æson.
  2. And fassion not youre selves lyke vnto this worlde: But be ye chaunged in youre shape by the renuynge of youre wittes that ye maye fele what thynge that good yt acceptable and perfaycte will of god is.

Etymology

From Middle English renewen, an alteration (possibly on analogy with Latin renovāre) of earlier anewen (“to renew”), from Old English nīewian (“to restore; renovate; renew”), equivalent to re- + new. Cognate with Old High German giniuwōn (“to renew”), Middle High German geniuwen (“to renew”), Old Norse nýja (“to renew”).

This word in other languages

renovar(Español)renouveler(Français)erneuern(Deutsch)renovar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ernew
  • reenw
  • reneww
  • rennew
  • renwe
  • rneew
  • rrenew

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ernew2reenw2reneww1rennew1renwe2rneew2rrenew1
Edit distance from "renew"

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 "renew"?
"renew" is spelled R-E-N-E-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈnjuː/.
What does "renew" mean?
As a verb, "renew" means: To make (something) new again; to restore to freshness or original condition.
What words are commonly confused with "renew"?
"renew" is commonly confused with "rent", "reno", "rune". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "renew"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "renew" is /ɹɪˈnjuː/. 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 "renew"?
From Middle English renewen, an alteration (possibly on analogy with Latin renovāre) of earlier anewen (“to renew”), from Old English nīewian (“to restore; renovate; renew”), equivalent to re- + new. Cognate with Old High German giniuwōn (“to rene... 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 "renew", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

retro#10,756proxy#10,749rumor#10,761owing#10,739

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

saddle7 variantssorrow7 variantsnegro7 variantsstoke7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list