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” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #742 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#742
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Healthy.

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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for sound is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /saʊnd/. Corpus data places it at rank #742 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

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.

Using “sound”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-O-U-N-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /saʊnd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “sun” - see the side-by-side comparison. sound vs sun
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list