respond

/ɹɪˈspɒnd/

//ɹɪˈspɒnd// verb

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

"respond" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“respond” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,857. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,857
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To say something in return; to answer; to reply.

Corpus desk

Index EN-respond · respond · English

respond · rank #2,857 · 11 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,857
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH represented

Nearest frequency peer: represented (-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 “respond”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “respond” 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).

respond vs Reston
57% similar
respond vs response
75% similar
respond vs responded
78% similar

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

Key facts for respond
PropertyValue
Headwordrespond
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈspɒnd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,857
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “respond”

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).respondlands 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 “represented” (#2,856), “retirement” (#2,858), “regions” (#2,855). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “respond” is #2,857. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around respond (IPA /ɹɪˈspɒnd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #2,857 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for respond, with forms such as "erspond", "repsond", and "resopnd". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "Reston", "response", "responded", 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 respounden, from Old French respondre, from Late Latin respondō, from Latin respondeō. Cf. Modern French répondre. The correct English form is respond, spelled R-E-S-P-O-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To say something in return; to answer; to reply.
  2. 2
    To act in return; to carry out an action or in return to a force or stimulus; to do something in response.
  3. 3
    To correspond with; to suit.
  4. 4
    To satisfy; to answer.
  5. 5
    To be liable for payment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to respond to a question or an argument
  2. As in much of biology, the most satisfying truths in ecology derive from manipulative experimentation. Tinker with nature and quantify how it responds.

Etymology

From Middle English respounden, from Old French respondre, from Late Latin respondō, from Latin respondeō. Cf. Modern French répondre.

Synonyms

respondanswerretortanswer backreactrejoincounterreturnreplysnap back

This word in other languages

responder(Español)répondre(Français)antworten(Deutsch)responder(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erspond
  • repsond
  • resopnd
  • respnod
  • respodn
  • respondd
  • responnd
  • resppond
  • resspond
  • rrespond
  • rsepond

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erspond2repsond2resopnd2respnod2respodn2respondd1responnd1resppond1
Edit distance from "respond"

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 "respond"?
"respond" is spelled R-E-S-P-O-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈspɒnd/.
What does "respond" mean?
As a verb, "respond" means: To say something in return; to answer; to reply.
What words are commonly confused with "respond"?
"respond" is commonly confused with "Reston", "response", "responded". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "respond"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "respond" is /ɹɪˈspɒnd/. 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 "respond"?
From Middle English respounden, from Old French respondre, from Late Latin respondō, from Latin respondeō. Cf. Modern French répondre. 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 "respond", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

regions#2,855protein#2,851somehow#2,863portion#2,848

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

ultimate11 variantsofficially11 variantsunknown11 variantsCarolina11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list