reward
/ɹɪˈwɔːd/
"reward" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“reward” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,116 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #4,116
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 16
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Something of value given in return for an act.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | reward |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈwɔːd/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #4,116 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 16 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “reward” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for reward is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈwɔːd/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,116 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 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for reward, with forms such as "erward", "reawrd", and "rewadr". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "rewind", "rework", "rewarded", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English reward, rewarde, from Old French reward (“reward”) (compare Old French regard, whence modern French regard, and also English regard through Middle French), from rewarder (“to reward”) (compare Old French reguarder), from re- + warder (“t… The correct English form is reward, spelled R-E-W-A-R-D.
Definition
- 1Something of value given in return for an act.
- 2A prize promised for a certain deed or catch
- 3The result of an action, whether good or bad.
Etymology
From Middle English reward, rewarde, from Old French reward (“reward”) (compare Old French regard, whence modern French regard, and also English regard through Middle French), from rewarder (“to reward”) (compare Old French reguarder), from re- + warder (“to guard, keep”) (compare Old French guarder); the Anglo-Norman forms are derived from Old Northern French variants of Old French, ultimately of Germanic (Frankish) origin. Compare regard, warden, guard. See more below. Mostly displaced Old English mēd, whence Modern English meed. Displaced Old English lēan and edlēan.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: erward,reawrd,rewadr,rewardd,rewarrd,rewrad,rewward,rreward,rweard
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of reward - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “reward”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-W-A-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹɪˈwɔːd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “rewind” - see the side-by-side comparison. reward vs rewind
- 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.