sound

/saʊnd/

//saʊnd// adj

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

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

The verdict

“sound” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #742. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#742
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Healthy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sound · sound · English

sound · rank #742 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #742
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH September

Nearest frequency peer: September (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “sound”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “sound” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

sound vs sun
60% similar
sound vs sud
60% similar
sound vs soup
60% similar

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

Key facts for sound
PropertyValue
Headwordsound
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/saʊnd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#742
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sound” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). sound lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around sound (IPA /saʊnd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #742 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for sound, with forms such as "osund", "sonud", and "soudn". 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, "sun", "sud", "soup", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sound, sund, isund, ȝesund, from Old English sund (“sound, safe, whole, uninjured, healthy, prosperous”), from Proto-West Germanic *sund, from Proto-Germanic *sundaz (“healthy”), merged with synonymous Old English ġesund, from Proto-West… The correct English form is sound, spelled S-O-U-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Healthy.
  2. 2
    Complete, solid, or secure.
  3. 3
    Having the property of soundness.
  4. 4
    Good; acceptable; decent.
  5. 5
    Quiet and deep.
  6. 6
    Heavy; laid on with force.
  7. 7
    Founded in law; legal; valid; not defective.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He was safe and sound.
  2. In horse management a sound horse is one with no health problems that might affect its suitability for its intended work.

Etymology

From Middle English sound, sund, isund, ȝesund, from Old English sund (“sound, safe, whole, uninjured, healthy, prosperous”), from Proto-West Germanic *sund, from Proto-Germanic *sundaz (“healthy”), merged with synonymous Old English ġesund, from Proto-West Germanic *gasund. Cognate with Scots sound, soun (“healthy, sound”), Saterland Frisian suund, gesuund (“healthy”), West Frisian sûn (“healthy”), Dutch gezond (“healthy, sound”), Low German sund, gesund (“healthy”), German gesund (“healthy, sound”), Danish sund (“healthy”), Swedish sund (“sound, healthy”). Possibly related also to Dutch gezwind (“fast, quick”), German geschwind (“fast, quick”), Old English swīþ (“strong, mighty, powerful, active, severe, violent”). See swith.

This word in other languages

sano(Español)sain(Français)gesund(Deutsch)são(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • osund
  • sonud
  • soudn
  • soundd
  • sounnd
  • ssound
  • suond

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

osund2sonud2soudn2soundd1sounnd1ssound1suond2
Edit distance from "sound"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sound"?
"sound" is spelled S-O-U-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /saʊnd/.
What does "sound" mean?
As an adjective, "sound" means: Healthy.
What words are commonly confused with "sound"?
"sound" is commonly confused with "sun", "sud", "soup". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sound"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sound" is /saʊnd/. 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 "sound"?
From Middle English sound, sund, isund, ȝesund, from Old English sund (“sound, safe, whole, uninjured, healthy, prosperous”), from Proto-West Germanic *sund, from Proto-Germanic *sundaz (“healthy”), merged with synonymous Old English ġesund, from ... 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 "sound", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

value#745lives#748books#730round#754

Similar misspelling depth

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

follow7 variantsDavid7 variantsdrive7 variantsgreen7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "sound". Here's where to go from here.

  • "sound" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "sun". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #742 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list