vaunt

/vɔːnt/

//vɔːnt// verb

"vaunt" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vaunt” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To speak boastfully.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vaunt · vaunt · English

vaunt · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "V" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for vaunt
PropertyValue
Headwordvaunt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/vɔːnt/
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “vaunt” in English

vauntranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

vaunt is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /vɔːnt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for vaunt, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English vaunten, from Anglo-Norman vaunter, variant of Old French vanter, from Latin vānus (“vain, boastful”). The correct English form is vaunt, spelled V-A-U-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To speak boastfully.
  2. 2
    To speak boastfully about.
  3. 3
    To boast of; to make a vain display of; to display with ostentation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "The number," said he, "is great, but what can be expected from mere citizen soldiers? They vaunt and menace in time of safety; none are so arrogant when the enemy is at a distance; but when the din of war thunders at the gates they hide themselves in terror."
  2. Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.

Etymology

From Middle English vaunten, from Anglo-Norman vaunter, variant of Old French vanter, from Latin vānus (“vain, boastful”).

Synonyms

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 "vaunt"?
"vaunt" is spelled V-A-U-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /vɔːnt/.
What does "vaunt" mean?
As a verb, "vaunt" means: To speak boastfully.
How do you pronounce "vaunt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vaunt" is /vɔːnt/. 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 "vaunt"?
From Middle English vaunten, from Anglo-Norman vaunter, variant of Old French vanter, from Latin vānus (“vain, boastful”). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list