vein

/veɪn/

//veɪn// noun

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

"vein" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vein” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,148 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#10,148
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A blood vessel that transports blood from the capillaries back to the heart.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

vein vs vi
50% similar
vein vs VN
0% similar
vein vs via
50% similar

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

Key facts for vein
PropertyValue
Headwordvein
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/veɪn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#10,148
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “vein” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). vein lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for vein is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /veɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,148 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for vein, with forms such as "evin", "veinn", and "veni". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "vi", "VN", "via", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English veyne, borrowed from Anglo-Norman veine, from Latin vēna (“a blood-vessel; vein; artery”) of uncertain origin. See vēna for more. Doublet of vena. Displaced native edre, from ǣdre (whence edder). The correct English form is vein, spelled V-E-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A blood vessel that transports blood from the capillaries back to the heart.
  2. 2
    The entrails of a shrimp.
  3. 3
    In leaves, a thickened portion of the leaf containing the vascular bundle.
  4. 4
    The nervure of an insect’s wing.
  5. 5
    A stripe or streak of a different colour or composition in materials such as wood, cheese, marble or other rocks.
  6. 6
    A sheetlike body of crystallized minerals within a rock.
  7. 7
    A topic of discussion; a train of association, thoughts, emotions, etc.
  8. 8
    A style, tendency, or quality.
  9. 9
    A fissure, cleft, or cavity, as in the earth or other substance.

Etymology

From Middle English veyne, borrowed from Anglo-Norman veine, from Latin vēna (“a blood-vessel; vein; artery”) of uncertain origin. See vēna for more. Doublet of vena. Displaced native edre, from ǣdre (whence edder).

Synonyms

vena

This word in other languages

vena(Español)veine(Français)Vene(Deutsch)veio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: evin,veinn,veni,vien,vvein

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of vein - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

evin2veinn1veni2vien2vvein1
Edit distance from "vein"

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 "vein"?
"vein" is spelled V-E-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /veɪn/.
What does "vein" mean?
As a noun, "vein" means: A blood vessel that transports blood from the capillaries back to the heart.
What words are commonly confused with "vein"?
"vein" is commonly confused with "vi", "VN", "via". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vein"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vein" is /veɪn/. 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 "vein"?
From Middle English veyne, borrowed from Anglo-Norman veine, from Latin vēna (“a blood-vessel; vein; artery”) of uncertain origin. See vēna for more. Doublet of vena. Displaced native edre, from ǣdre (whence edder). 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.

Using “vein”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is V-E-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /veɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “vi” - see the side-by-side comparison. vein vs vi
  • 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