response

/ɹɪˈspɒns/

//ɹɪˈspɒns// noun

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

"response" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“response” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,000. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,000
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An answer or reply, or something in the nature of an answer or reply.

Corpus desk

Index EN-response · response · English

response · rank #1,000 · 12 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #1,000
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH respect

Nearest frequency peer: respect (-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 “response”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “response” 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).

response vs responsive
80% similar
response vs repose
75% similar
response vs respond
75% similar

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

Key facts for response
PropertyValue
Headwordresponse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈspɒns/
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,000
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “response”

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).responselands 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 “respect” (#999), “river” (#1,001), “places” (#998). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “response” is #1,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around response (IPA /ɹɪˈspɒns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,000 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for response, with forms such as "ersponse", "repsonse", and "resopnse". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "responsive", "repose", "respond", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English respounse, respons, from Old French respons, respuns, responce, ultimately from the Latin respōnsum, a nominal use of the neuter form of respōnsus, the perfect passive participle of respondeō, from re (“again”) + spondeō (“promise”). Dou… The correct English form is response, spelled R-E-S-P-O-N-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An answer or reply, or something in the nature of an answer or reply.
  2. 2
    The act of responding or replying; reply: as, to speak in response to a question.
  3. 3
    An oracular answer.
  4. 4
    A verse, sentence, phrase, or word said or sung by the choir or congregation in sequence or reply to the priest or officiant.
  5. 5
    A versicle or anthem said or sung during or after a lection; a respond or responsory.
  6. 6
    A reply to an objection in formal disputation.
  7. 7
    An online advertising performance metric representing one click-through from an online ad to its destination URL.
  8. 8
    A reaction to a stimulus or provocation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels. The reason plaque forms isn’t entirely known, but it seems to be related to high levels of cholesterol inducing an inflammatory response, which can also attract and t…

Etymology

From Middle English respounse, respons, from Old French respons, respuns, responce, ultimately from the Latin respōnsum, a nominal use of the neuter form of respōnsus, the perfect passive participle of respondeō, from re (“again”) + spondeō (“promise”). Doublet of responsum.

Synonyms

reaction

This word in other languages

respuesta(Español)réponse(Français)Antwort(Deutsch)resposta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ersponse
  • repsonse
  • resopnse
  • respnose
  • respones
  • responnse
  • responsse
  • resposne
  • respponse
  • ressponse
  • rresponse
  • rseponse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ersponse2repsonse2resopnse2respnose2respones2responnse1responsse1resposne2
Edit distance from "response"

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 "response"?
"response" is spelled R-E-S-P-O-N-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈspɒns/.
What does "response" mean?
As a noun, "response" means: An answer or reply, or something in the nature of an answer or reply.
What words are commonly confused with "response"?
"response" is commonly confused with "responsive", "repose", "respond". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "response"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "response" is /ɹɪˈspɒns/. 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 "response"?
From Middle English respounse, respons, from Old French respons, respuns, responce, ultimately from the Latin respōnsum, a nominal use of the neuter form of respōnsus, the perfect passive participle of respondeō, from re (“again”) + spondeō (“prom... 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 "response", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

specific#1,005standard#1,006included#993February#990

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

minister12 variantsbeginning12 variantscampaign12 variantspractice12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list