turn away

verb

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

"turn-away" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“turn away” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To rotate so as not to face someone or something.

Key facts for turn away
PropertyValue
Headwordturn away
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “turn away” sits in English frequency

turn away falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for turn away is 9 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for turn away in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is turn away, spelled T-U-R-N- -A-W-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To rotate so as not to face someone or something.
  2. 2
    To rotate oneself so as not to face someone or something.
  3. 3
    To bend or turn from a fixed course.
  4. 4
    To bend or turn from a fixed course.
  5. 5
    To refuse to admit someone or accept something.
  6. 6
    To avert or ward off the occurrence or effects of.
  7. 7
    To dismiss from service.
  8. 8
    To forsake or refuse an association or commitment.

This word in other languages

détourner(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "turn away"?
"turn away" is spelled T-U-R-N- -A-W-A-Y.
What does "turn away" mean?
As a verb, "turn away" means: To rotate so as not to face someone or something.
What language does "turn away" come from?
"turn away" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “turn away”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-U-R-N- -A-W-A-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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