requirement

/ɹɪˈkwʌɪəm(ə)nt/

//ɹɪˈkwʌɪəm(ə)nt// noun

"requirement" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“requirement” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,628 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,628
frequency rank, English
11
letters
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A necessity or prerequisite; something required or obligatory. Its adpositions are generally of in relation to who or what has given it, on in relation to whom or what it is given to, and for in re...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

requirement vs retirement
82% similar
requirement vs requirements
92% similar

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

Key facts for requirement
PropertyValue
Headwordrequirement
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈkwʌɪəm(ə)nt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#4,628
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “requirement” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for requirement is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈkwʌɪəm(ə)nt/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,628 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for requirement, with forms such as "erquirement", "reqiurement", and "reqquirement". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "retirement", "requirements", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From require + -ment. The correct English form is requirement, spelled R-E-Q-U-I-R-E-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A necessity or prerequisite; something required or obligatory. Its adpositions are generally of in relation to who or what has given it, on in relation to whom or what it is given to, and for in relation to what is required.
  2. 2
    Something asked.
  3. 3
    A statement (in domain specific terms) which specifies a verifiable constraint on an implementation that it shall undeniably meet or (a) be deemed unacceptable, or (b) result in implementation failure, or (c) result in system failure.

Etymology

From require + -ment.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: erquirement,reqiurement,reqquirement,requierment,requireemnt,requiremennt,requirementt,requiremetn,requiremment,requiremnet,requirmeent,requirrement,requriement,reuqirement,rqeuirement,rrequirement

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of requirement - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

erquirement2reqiurement2reqquirement1requierment2requireemnt2requiremennt1requirementt1requiremetn2
Edit distance from "requirement"

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 "requirement"?
"requirement" is spelled R-E-Q-U-I-R-E-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈkwʌɪəm(ə)nt/.
What does "requirement" mean?
As a noun, "requirement" means: A necessity or prerequisite; something required or obligatory. Its adpositions are generally of in relation to who or what has given it, on in relation to whom or what it is given to, and for in re...
What words are commonly confused with "requirement"?
"requirement" is commonly confused with "retirement", "requirements". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "requirement"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "requirement" is /ɹɪˈkwʌɪəm(ə)nt/. 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 "requirement"?
From require + -ment. 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.

Using “requirement”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-Q-U-I-R-E-M-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹɪˈkwʌɪəm(ə)nt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “retirement” - see the side-by-side comparison. requirement vs retirement
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list