suspend

/səsˈpɛnd/

//səsˈpɛnd// verb

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

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

The verdict

“suspend” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,619. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,619
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To halt something temporarily.

Corpus desk

Index EN-suspend · suspend · English

suspend · rank #11,619 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,619
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sushi

Nearest frequency peer: sushi (-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 “suspend”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “suspend” 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).

suspend vs suspense
75% similar
suspend vs suspended
78% similar
suspend vs spend
71% similar

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

Key facts for suspend
PropertyValue
Headwordsuspend
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/səsˈpɛnd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#11,619
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “suspend”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).suspendlands 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 “sushi” (#11,618), “SW” (#11,620), “suppression” (#11,617). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “suspend” is #11,619. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around suspend (IPA /səsˈpɛnd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #11,619 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for suspend, with forms such as "ssupend", "ssuspend", and "supsend". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "suspense", "suspended", "spend", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French sospendre, from Latin suspendere. The correct English form is suspend, spelled S-U-S-P-E-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To halt something temporarily.
  2. 2
    To hold in an undetermined or undecided state.
  3. 3
    To discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event.
  4. 4
    To hang freely; underhang.
  5. 5
    To bring a solid substance, usually in powder form, into suspension in a liquid.
  6. 6
    To make to depend.
  7. 7
    To debar, or cause to withdraw temporarily, from any privilege, from the execution of an office, from the enjoyment of income, etc.
  8. 8
    To support in a liquid, as an insoluble powder, by stirring, to facilitate chemical action.
  9. 9
    To remove the value of an unused coupon from an air ticket, typically so as to allow continuation of the next sectors' travel.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The meeting was suspended for lunch.
  2. Suspend your indignation against my brother.

Etymology

From Old French sospendre, from Latin suspendere.

Antonyms

resume

This word in other languages

suspender(Español)suspendre(Français)suspendieren(Deutsch)suspender(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ssupend
  • ssuspend
  • supsend
  • susepnd
  • suspedn
  • suspendd
  • suspennd
  • suspned
  • susppend
  • susspend
  • usspend

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ssupend2ssuspend1supsend2susepnd2suspedn2suspendd1suspennd1suspned2
Edit distance from "suspend"

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 "suspend"?
"suspend" is spelled S-U-S-P-E-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /səsˈpɛnd/.
What does "suspend" mean?
As a verb, "suspend" means: To halt something temporarily.
What words are commonly confused with "suspend"?
"suspend" is commonly confused with "suspense", "suspended", "spend". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "suspend"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "suspend" is /səsˈpɛnd/. 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 "suspend"?
From Old French sospendre, from Latin suspendere. 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 "suspend", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

stunned#11,616trustee#11,627turnout#11,628sensory#11,603

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

swelling11 variantsstirring11 variantsscenery11 variantsringing11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list