vinegar

Name: vinegar, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈvɪnəɡə/

//ˈvɪnəɡə// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“vinegar” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,349 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#12,349
frequency rank, English: 7
letters: 10
tracked misspellings: 1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sour liquid formed by the fermentation of alcohol used as a condiment or preservative; a dilute solution of acetic acid.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

vinegar vs vineyard

75% similar

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

Key facts for vinegar
Property	Value
Headword	vinegar
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈvɪnəɡə/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#12,349
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	1
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “vinegar” 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). vinegar lands here:

#12,349

#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 vinegar is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈvɪnəɡə/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,349 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for vinegar, with forms such as "ivnegar", "viengar", and "vineagr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "vineyard", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *weh₁y-? Proto-Indo-European *-ō? Proto-Indo-European *wéyh₁ō Proto-Italic *wīnom Latin vīnum Old French vin Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-rós Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós Proto-Italic *akris Classical L… The correct English form is vinegar, spelled V-I-N-E-G-A-R.

Definition

1
A sour liquid formed by the fermentation of alcohol used as a condiment or preservative; a dilute solution of acetic acid.
2
Any variety of vinegar.
3
Vigor; vitality.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *weh₁y-? Proto-Indo-European *-ō? Proto-Indo-European *wéyh₁ō Proto-Italic *wīnom Latin vīnum Old French vin Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-rós Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós Proto-Italic *akris Classical Latin ācer Late Latin ācrus Old French aigre Old French vinaigrebor. Middle English vynegre English vinegar From Middle English vynegre, from Old French vinaigre from Old French vyn egre, based on Latin vīnum (“wine”) + Latin ācer (“sour”). Displaced Old English æċed (survived in Middle English eced).

This word in other languages

vinagre(Español)vinaigre(Français)Essig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ivnegar,viengar,vineagr,vinegarr,vineggar,vinegra,vingear,vinnegar,vniegar,vvinegar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "vinegar"

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 "vinegar"?

"vinegar" is spelled V-I-N-E-G-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɪnəɡə/.

What does "vinegar" mean?

As a noun, "vinegar" means: A sour liquid formed by the fermentation of alcohol used as a condiment or preservative; a dilute solution of acetic acid.

What words are commonly confused with "vinegar"?

"vinegar" is commonly confused with "vineyard". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "vinegar"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vinegar" is /ˈvɪnəɡə/. 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 "vinegar"?

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 “vinegar”

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

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