violent

/ˈvaɪ.ə.lənt/

//ˈvaɪ.ə.lənt// adj

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

"violent" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“violent” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,269 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#3,269
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Involving extreme force or motion.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

violent vs violet
86% similar
violent vs violin
71% similar
violent vs violins
71% similar

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

Key facts for violent
PropertyValue
Headwordviolent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈvaɪ.ə.lənt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,269
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “violent” 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). violent 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 violent is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈvaɪ.ə.lənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,269 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 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 violent, with forms such as "ivolent", "viloent", and "vioelnt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "violet", "violin", "violins", 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 violent, from Old French violent, from Latin violentus, from vīs (“strength”). Displaced native Old English stræc. For the verb, compare French violenter. The correct English form is violent, spelled V-I-O-L-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Involving extreme force or motion.
  2. 2
    Involving physical conflict.
  3. 3
    Likely to use physical force.
  4. 4
    Intensely vivid.
  5. 5
    Produced or effected by force; not spontaneous; unnatural.
  6. 6
    Acute, extreme, sharp.

Etymology

From Middle English violent, from Old French violent, from Latin violentus, from vīs (“strength”). Displaced native Old English stræc. For the verb, compare French violenter.

Antonyms

peaceful

This word in other languages

violento(Español)violent(Français)heftig(Deutsch)violento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ivolent,viloent,vioelnt,violennt,violentt,violetn,viollent,violnet,voilent,vviolent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of violent - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ivolent2viloent2vioelnt2violennt1violentt1violetn2viollent1violnet2
Edit distance from "violent"

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 "violent"?
"violent" is spelled V-I-O-L-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvaɪ.ə.lənt/.
What does "violent" mean?
As an adjective, "violent" means: Involving extreme force or motion.
What words are commonly confused with "violent"?
"violent" is commonly confused with "violet", "violin", "violins". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "violent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "violent" is /ˈvaɪ.ə.lənt/. 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 "violent"?
From Middle English violent, from Old French violent, from Latin violentus, from vīs (“strength”). Displaced native Old English stræc. For the verb, compare French violenter. 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 “violent”

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

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