second

/ˈsɛk.ənd/

//ˈsɛk.ənd// adj

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

"second" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“second” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #212. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#212
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Number-two; following after the first one with nothing between them. The ordinal number corresponding to the cardinal number two.

Corpus desk

Index EN-second · second · English

second · rank #212 · 9 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #212
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH free

Nearest frequency peer: free (-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 “second”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “second” 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).

second vs send
67% similar
second vs seton
67% similar
second vs Seong
50% similar

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

Key facts for second
PropertyValue
Headwordsecond
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsɛk.ənd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#212
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “second”

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).secondlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “free” (#211), “someone” (#213), “money” (#210). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “second” is #212. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around second (IPA /ˈsɛk.ənd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #212 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for second, with forms such as "escond", "sceond", and "seccond". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "send", "seton", "Seong", 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 secunde, second, secound, secund, borrowed from Old French second, seond, from Latin secundus (“following, next in order”), from root of sequor (“to follow”), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow”). Doublet of secund and secundo. … The correct English form is second, spelled S-E-C-O-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Number-two; following after the first one with nothing between them. The ordinal number corresponding to the cardinal number two.
  2. 2
    Next to the first in value, power, excellence, dignity, or rank; secondary; subordinate; inferior.
  3. 3
    Being of the same kind as one that has preceded; another.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He lives on Second Street.
  2. The second volume in "The Lord of the Rings" series is called "The Two Towers".

Etymology

From Middle English secunde, second, secound, secund, borrowed from Old French second, seond, from Latin secundus (“following, next in order”), from root of sequor (“to follow”), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow”). Doublet of secund and secundo. Displaced native twoth and partially displaced native other (from Old English ōþer (“other; next; second”)).

Synonyms

other

This word in other languages

segundo(Español)deuxième(Français)zweite(Deutsch)segundo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • escond
  • sceond
  • seccond
  • secnod
  • secodn
  • secondd
  • seconnd
  • seocnd
  • ssecond

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of second - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

escond2sceond2seccond1secnod2secodn2secondd1seconnd1seocnd2
Edit distance from "second"

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 "second"?
"second" is spelled S-E-C-O-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɛk.ənd/.
What does "second" mean?
As an adjective, "second" means: Number-two; following after the first one with nothing between them. The ordinal number corresponding to the cardinal number two.
What words are commonly confused with "second"?
"second" is commonly confused with "send", "seton", "Seong". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "second"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "second" is /ˈsɛk.ənd/. 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 "second"?
From Middle English secunde, second, secound, secund, borrowed from Old French second, seond, from Latin secundus (“following, next in order”), from root of sequor (“to follow”), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow”). Doublet of secund and... 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 "second", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

number#216please#208family#205didn't#195

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

someone9 variantshaving9 variantsschool9 variantsgetting9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list