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vodka

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "vodka", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "vodka" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "vodka" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

vodka is aEnglishnoun. It means: A clear distilled alcoholic liquor made from grain mash. Pronounced /ˈvɒdkə/. It ranks #9,273 in English word frequency. Often confused with volta and Volga.

Key facts for vodka
PropertyValue
Headwordvodka
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvɒdkə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,273
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of vodka in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for vodka is 5 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈvɒdkə/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,273 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 7 documented wrong-spelling variants for vodka, with forms such as "ovdka", "vdoka", and "vodak". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "volta", "Volga", "VoD", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Russian во́дка (vódka), from вода́ (vodá, “water”) + -ка (-ka, “-let: forming diminutives”). The archaic Russian name for vodka was хле́бное вино́ (xlébnoje vinó, “grain wine”); V. Pokhlyobkin's research suggests the present name derived from … Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is vodka, spelled V-O-D-K-A, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A clear distilled alcoholic liquor made from grain mash.
  2. 2
    A serving of the above beverage.
  3. 3
    Neutral spirits distilled (or treated after distillation) so as to have no distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.
  4. 4
    A Russian.
  5. 5
    Russian language.

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian во́дка (vódka), from вода́ (vodá, “water”) + -ка (-ka, “-let: forming diminutives”). The archaic Russian name for vodka was хле́бное вино́ (xlébnoje vinó, “grain wine”); V. Pokhlyobkin's research suggests the present name derived from expressions concerning the dilution of the initial pure distilled spirit such as "vodka of grain wine". Cognates include Sanskrit उदक (udaka), Ancient Greek ὕδωρ (húdōr) → English hydro-, English whisky and English water.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ovdka,vdoka,vodak,voddka,vodkka,vokda,vvodka

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for vodka

Misspelling Variants of "vodka"

ovdka5vdoka5vodak5voddka6vodkka6vokda5vvodka6
Misspelling Variants of "vodka"

Frequency rank: #9,273 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "vodka"?
"vodka" is spelled V-O-D-K-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɒdkə/.
What does "vodka" mean?
As a noun, "vodka" means: A clear distilled alcoholic liquor made from grain mash.
What words are commonly confused with "vodka"?
"vodka" is commonly confused with "volta", "Volga", "VoD". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vodka"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vodka" is /ˈvɒdkə/. 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 "vodka"?
Borrowed from Russian во́дка (vódka), from вода́ (vodá, “water”) + -ка (-ka, “-let: forming diminutives”). The archaic Russian name for vodka was хле́бное вино́ (xlébnoje vinó, “grain wine”); V. Pokhlyobkin's research suggests the present name der... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter V in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.