renown

/ɹɪˈnaʊn/

//ɹɪˈnaʊn// noun

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

"renown" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“renown” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,185. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,185
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Fame; celebrity; wide recognition.

Corpus desk

Index EN-renown · renown · English

renown · rank #25,185 · 9 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,185
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH refurbishment

Nearest frequency peer: refurbishment (-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 “renown”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “renown” 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).

renown vs Renton
50% similar
renown vs rundown
71% similar
renown vs renowned
75% similar

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

Key facts for renown
PropertyValue
Headwordrenown
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈnaʊn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#25,185
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “renown”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “refurbishment” (#25,184), “revel” (#25,187), “quill” (#25,182). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “renown” is #25,185. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around renown (IPA /ɹɪˈnaʊn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,185 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for renown, with forms such as "ernown", "rennown", and "renonw". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "Renton", "rundown", "renowned", 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 Old French renoun (compare with Modern French renom), equivalent to re- + noun. The correct English form is renown, spelled R-E-N-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fame; celebrity; wide recognition.
  2. 2
    Reports of nobleness or achievements; praise.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She is a theame of honour and renowne, / A ſpurre to valiant and magnanimous deeds, / Whoſe preſent courage may beate downe our foes, / And fame in time to come canonize us, […]
  2. And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: […]

Etymology

From Old French renoun (compare with Modern French renom), equivalent to re- + noun.

This word in other languages

renombre(Español)renom(Français)Ansehen(Deutsch)renome(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ernown
  • rennown
  • renonw
  • renownn
  • renowwn
  • renwon
  • reonwn
  • rneown
  • rrenown

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ernown2rennown1renonw2renownn1renowwn1renwon2reonwn2rneown2
Edit distance from "renown"

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 "renown"?
"renown" is spelled R-E-N-O-W-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈnaʊn/.
What does "renown" mean?
As a noun, "renown" means: Fame; celebrity; wide recognition.
What words are commonly confused with "renown"?
"renown" is commonly confused with "Renton", "rundown", "renowned". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "renown"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "renown" is /ɹɪˈnaʊn/. 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 "renown"?
From Old French renoun (compare with Modern French renom), equivalent to re- + noun. 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 "renown", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pointy#25,175salaam#25,195Sanjay#25,196Pfizer#25,171

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

perils9 variantsshudder9 variantsshunned9 variantsslalom9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list