violin

/ˌvaɪ.əˈlɪn/

//ˌvaɪ.əˈlɪn// noun

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

"violin" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“violin” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,634. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,634
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small unfretted stringed instrument with four strings tuned (lowest to highest) G-D-A-E, usually held against the chin and played with a bow.

Corpus desk

Index EN-violin · violin · English

violin · rank #10,634 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,634
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH vanity

Nearest frequency peer: vanity (-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 “violin”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “violin” 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).

violin vs virgin
67% similar
violin vs violins
86% similar
violin vs viola
67% similar

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

Key facts for violin
PropertyValue
Headwordviolin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌvaɪ.əˈlɪn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#10,634
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “violin”

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).violinlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “vanity” (#10,633), “vain” (#10,632), “whereby” (#10,636). Among 969 “V” headwords, “violin” is #10,634. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around violin (IPA /ˌvaɪ.əˈlɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,634 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for violin, with forms such as "ivolin", "viloin", and "vioiln". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "virgin", "violins", "viola", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Italian violino (“little viola”), from viola + -ino (forming diminutives). The correct English form is violin, spelled V-I-O-L-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small unfretted stringed instrument with four strings tuned (lowest to highest) G-D-A-E, usually held against the chin and played with a bow.
  2. 2
    Any instrument of the violin family, always inclusive of violins, violas and cellos, and sometimes further including the double bass.
  3. 3
    A violinist in an orchestra or group.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When I play it like this, it's a fiddle; when I play it like this, it's a violin.
  2. She was looking more like Sherlock Holmes than ever. Slap a dressing-gown on her and give her a violin, and she could have walked straight into Baker Street and no questions asked.

Etymology

From Italian violino (“little viola”), from viola + -ino (forming diminutives).

Synonyms

fiddlecrowd

This word in other languages

violín(Español)violon(Français)Geige(Deutsch)violino(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ivolin
  • viloin
  • vioiln
  • violinn
  • viollin
  • violni
  • voilin
  • vviolin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of violin - 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.

ivolin2viloin2vioiln2violinn1viollin1violni2voilin2vviolin1
Edit distance from "violin"

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 "violin"?
"violin" is spelled V-I-O-L-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌvaɪ.əˈlɪn/.
What does "violin" mean?
As a noun, "violin" means: A small unfretted stringed instrument with four strings tuned (lowest to highest) G-D-A-E, usually held against the chin and played with a bow.
What words are commonly confused with "violin"?
"violin" is commonly confused with "virgin", "violins", "viola". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "violin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "violin" is /ˌvaɪ.əˈlɪn/. 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 "violin"?
From Italian violino (“little viola”), from viola + -ino (forming diminutives). 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 "violin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

vanity#10,633tumblr#10,626analog#10,644arcade#10,647

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

torch8 variantsstray8 variantsblink8 variantsCastro8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list