runaway

/ˈɹʌnəweɪ/

//ˈɹʌnəweɪ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“runaway” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,205. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,205
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person or animal that runs away or has run away; a person, animal, or organization that escapes captivity or restrictions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-runaway · runaway · English

runaway · rank #14,205 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #14,205
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH robotic

Nearest frequency peer: robotic (-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 “runaway”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “runaway” 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).

runaway vs runway
86% similar

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

Key facts for runaway
PropertyValue
Headwordrunaway
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹʌnəweɪ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,205
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “runaway”

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).runawaylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “robotic” (#14,204), “Saturn” (#14,206), “restrictive” (#14,203). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “runaway” is #14,205. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around runaway (IPA /ˈɹʌnəweɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,205 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for runaway, with forms such as "rnuaway", "rrunaway", and "ruanway". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "runway", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from run away. The correct English form is runaway, spelled R-U-N-A-W-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person or animal that runs away or has run away; a person, animal, or organization that escapes captivity or restrictions.
  2. 2
    A vehicle (especially, a train) that is out of control.
  3. 3
    An object or process that is out of control or out of equilibrium.
  4. 4
    The act of running away, especially of a horse or teams.
  5. 5
    An overwhelming victory.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Runaways are vulnerable to criminal exploitation.
  2. Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou fled?

Etymology

Deverbal from run away.

This word in other languages

fugitivo(Español)fugitif(Français)Ausreißer(Deutsch)desgarrado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rnuaway
  • rrunaway
  • ruanway
  • runaawy
  • runawayy
  • runawway
  • runawya
  • runnaway
  • runwaay
  • urnaway

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rnuaway2rrunaway1ruanway2runaawy2runawayy1runawway1runawya2runnaway1
Edit distance from "runaway"

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 "runaway"?
"runaway" is spelled R-U-N-A-W-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹʌnəweɪ/.
What does "runaway" mean?
As a noun, "runaway" means: A person or animal that runs away or has run away; a person, animal, or organization that escapes captivity or restrictions.
What words are commonly confused with "runaway"?
"runaway" is commonly confused with "runway". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "runaway"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "runaway" is /ˈɹʌnəweɪ/. 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 "runaway"?
Deverbal from run away. 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 "runaway", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

robotic#14,204seismic#14,211quartet#14,196Sheldon#14,214

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

striped10 variantsoptimum10 variantsunicorn10 variantsmethane10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list