sonar

/ˈsoʊ.nɑːɹ/

//ˈsoʊ.nɑːɹ// noun

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

"sonar" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sonar” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,702. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,702
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Artificial echolocation by use of electronic equipment, with hydrophones to locate objects underwater, using the same wave-analysis principles that radar uses.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sonar · sonar · English

sonar · rank #19,702 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,702
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH spat

Nearest frequency peer: spat (+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 “sonar”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sonar” 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).

sonar vs sor
60% similar
sonar vs song
60% similar
sonar vs star
60% similar

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

Key facts for sonar
PropertyValue
Headwordsonar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsoʊ.nɑːɹ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#19,702
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sonar”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).sonarlands 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 “spat” (#19,703), “Siri” (#19,700), “stabilization” (#19,704). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sonar” is #19,702. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around sonar (IPA /ˈsoʊ.nɑːɹ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,702 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for sonar, with forms such as "osnar", "snoar", and "soanr". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sor", "song", "star", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: By anacronymic evolution from SONAR. The correct English form is sonar, spelled S-O-N-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Artificial echolocation by use of electronic equipment, with hydrophones to locate objects underwater, using the same wave-analysis principles that radar uses.
  2. 2
    A device that provides such echolocation.
  3. 3
    Any echolocation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They were able to detect the sunken wreck using sonar.
  2. They finally bought a new sonar to replace the 40-year-old unit that sometimes didn't work right.

Etymology

By anacronymic evolution from SONAR.

This word in other languages

sónar(Español)sonar(Français)Sonar(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • osnar
  • snoar
  • soanr
  • sonarr
  • sonnar
  • sonra
  • ssonar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

osnar2snoar2soanr2sonarr1sonnar1sonra2ssonar1
Edit distance from "sonar"

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 "sonar"?
"sonar" is spelled S-O-N-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsoʊ.nɑːɹ/.
What does "sonar" mean?
As a noun, "sonar" means: Artificial echolocation by use of electronic equipment, with hydrophones to locate objects underwater, using the same wave-analysis principles that radar uses.
What words are commonly confused with "sonar"?
"sonar" is commonly confused with "sor", "song", "star". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sonar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sonar" is /ˈsoʊ.nɑːɹ/. 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 "sonar"?
By anacronymic evolution from SONAR. 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 "sonar", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

stony#19,707shrug#19,696taper#19,713toxin#19,722

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Rhys7 variantsTudor7 variantswaffle7 variantsWanda7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list