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valentine

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

9 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "valentine", 9-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "valentine" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "valentine" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

valentine is aEnglishnoun. It means: An expression of affection, especially romantic affection, usually in the form of greeting card, gift, or message given the object of one's affection, especially on February 14th. Pronounced /ˈvaləntaɪn/. Often confused with Valentino and Valentine's.

Key facts for valentine
PropertyValue
Headwordvalentine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvaləntaɪn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#10,146
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of valentine in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for valentine is 9 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈvaləntaɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,146 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 13 documented wrong-spelling variants for valentine, with forms such as "avlentine", "vaelntine", and "valenitne". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "Valentino", "Valentine's", "Valentina", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Saint Valentine's Day (“day of celebration of romantic love”). Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is valentine, spelled V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    An expression of affection, especially romantic affection, usually in the form of greeting card, gift, or message given the object of one's affection, especially on February 14th.
  2. 2
    A person to whom a valentine is given or from whom it is received, especially on February 14th.

Etymology

From Saint Valentine's Day (“day of celebration of romantic love”).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: avlentine,vaelntine,valenitne,valenntine,valentien,valentinne,valentnie,valenttine,valetnine,vallentine,valnetine,vlaentine,vvalentine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for valentine

Misspelling Variants of "valentine"

avlentine9vaelntine9valenitne9valenntine10valentien9valentinne10valentnie9valenttine10
Misspelling Variants of "valentine"

Frequency rank: #10,146 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "valentine"?
"valentine" is spelled V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvaləntaɪn/.
What does "valentine" mean?
As a noun, "valentine" means: An expression of affection, especially romantic affection, usually in the form of greeting card, gift, or message given the object of one's affection, especially on February 14th.
What words are commonly confused with "valentine"?
"valentine" is commonly confused with "Valentino", "Valentine's", "Valentina". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "valentine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "valentine" is /ˈvaləntaɪn/. 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 "valentine"?
From Saint Valentine's Day (“day of celebration of romantic love”). 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter V in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.