veto

/ˈviːtəʊ/

//ˈviːtəʊ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“veto” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,165. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,165
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A political right to disapprove of (and thereby stop) the process of a decision, a law etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-veto · veto · English

veto · rank #12,165 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,165
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH VAR

Nearest frequency peer: VAR (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “veto”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “veto” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

veto vs vo
50% similar
veto vs vex
50% similar
veto vs Vit
25% similar

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

Key facts for veto
PropertyValue
Headwordveto
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈviːtəʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#12,165
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “veto”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).vetolands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “VAR” (#12,164), “vacancy” (#12,163), “vocational” (#12,167). Among 969 “V” headwords, “veto” is #12,165. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around veto (IPA /ˈviːtəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,165 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for veto, with forms such as "evto", "veot", and "vetto". 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, "vo", "vex", "Vit", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin vetō (“I forbid”). The correct English form is veto, spelled V-E-T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A political right to disapprove of (and thereby stop) the process of a decision, a law etc.
  2. 2
    An invocation of that right.
  3. 3
    An authoritative prohibition or negative; a forbidding; an interdiction.
  4. 4
    A technique or mechanism for discarding what would otherwise constitute a false positive in a scientific experiment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I called Haig in and told him that I wanted to veto the agricultural appropriations bill we had discussed in the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, because I did not want Ford to have to do it on his first day as President. Haig brought the veto statement in, and I signed it. It was the last piece of legislation I acted on as President.
  2. The failure on Wednesday to overturn Mr. Cooper’s veto was among the most dramatic consequences of Democratic legislative victories in North Carolina last November, which broke Republican supermajorities in both chambers and made it easier for Mr. Cooper’s vetos to survive.

Etymology

From Latin vetō (“I forbid”).

This word in other languages

veto(Español)veto(Français)Veto(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • evto
  • veot
  • vetto
  • vteo
  • vveto

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

evto2veot2vetto1vteo2vveto1
Edit distance from "veto"

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 "veto"?
"veto" is spelled V-E-T-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈviːtəʊ/.
What does "veto" mean?
As a noun, "veto" means: A political right to disapprove of (and thereby stop) the process of a decision, a law etc.
What words are commonly confused with "veto"?
"veto" is commonly confused with "vo", "vex", "Vit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "veto"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "veto" is /ˈviːtəʊ/. 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 "veto"?
From Latin vetō (“I forbid”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "veto", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

zinc#12,172sway#12,150Saul#12,137brew#12,194

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

coca5 variantspeas5 variantscove5 variantsmaze5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list