synonym
/ˈsɪn.əˌnɪm/
"synonym" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“synonym” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,607 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #24,607
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A term (word or phrase) which is synonymous with others.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | synonym |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɪn.əˌnɪm/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #24,607 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “synonym” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for synonym is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɪn.əˌnɪm/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,607 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for synonym, with forms such as "snyonym", "ssynonym", and "synnonym". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sinonyme, from Latin synōnymum, from Ancient Greek συνώνυμον (sunṓnumon), neuter singular form of συνώνυμος (sunṓnumos, “synonymous”), from σύν (sún, “with”) + ὄνομα (ónoma, “name”). By surface analysis, syn- + -onym. The correct English form is synonym, spelled S-Y-N-O-N-Y-M.
Definition
- 1A term (word or phrase) which is synonymous with others.
- 2Any of the various names that could in theory be used for a taxon in accordance with the relevant rules.
- 3Any of the various names that could in theory be used for a taxon in accordance with the relevant rules.
- 4An alternative (often shorter) name defined for an object in a database.
Etymology
From Middle English sinonyme, from Latin synōnymum, from Ancient Greek συνώνυμον (sunṓnumon), neuter singular form of συνώνυμος (sunṓnumos, “synonymous”), from σύν (sún, “with”) + ὄνομα (ónoma, “name”). By surface analysis, syn- + -onym.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: snyonym,ssynonym,synnonym,synnoym,synonmy,synonnym,synonymm,synonyym,synoynm,syonnym,syynonym,ysnonym
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of synonym - 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.
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 "synonym"?
What does "synonym" mean?
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Using “synonym”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-Y-N-O-N-Y-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɪn.əˌnɪm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.