wallow

/ˈwɒ.ləʊ/

//ˈwɒ.ləʊ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“wallow” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,280. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,280
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To roll oneself about in something dirty, for example in mud.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wallow · wallow · English

wallow · rank #37,280 · 7 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,280
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH walkthrough

Nearest frequency peer: walkthrough (-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 “wallow”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “wallow” 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).

wallow vs walls
67% similar
wallow vs Wally
50% similar
wallow vs willow
83% similar

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

Key facts for wallow
PropertyValue
Headwordwallow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈwɒ.ləʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#37,280
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wallow”

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).wallowlands 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 “walkthrough” (#37,279), “wadi” (#37,278), “washroom” (#37,282). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wallow” is #37,280. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around wallow (IPA /ˈwɒ.ləʊ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #37,280 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for wallow, with forms such as "awllow", "walloww", and "wallwo". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "walls", "Wally", "willow", 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 walowen, walewen, walwen, welwen, from Old English wealwian (“to roll”), from Proto-West Germanic *walwōn, variant of *walwijan, from Proto-Germanic *walwijaną (“to roll”), from Proto-Indo-European *welw-, from Proto-Indo-European *welH-… The correct English form is wallow, spelled W-A-L-L-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To roll oneself about in something dirty, for example in mud.
  2. 2
    To move lazily or heavily in any medium.
  3. 3
    To immerse oneself in, to occupy oneself with, metaphorically.
  4. 4
    To live or exist in filth or in a sickening manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Pigs wallow in the mud.
  2. O be thou my Charon, / And giue me ſwift tranſportance to theſe fieldes, / VVhere I may wallow in the lilly beds, / Propoſ'd for the deſeruer.

Etymology

From Middle English walowen, walewen, walwen, welwen, from Old English wealwian (“to roll”), from Proto-West Germanic *walwōn, variant of *walwijan, from Proto-Germanic *walwijaną (“to roll”), from Proto-Indo-European *welw-, from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, wind, roll”). Cognate with Latin volvō (“roll, tumble”, verb).

Synonyms

baskdelightindulgeluxuriaterevelrollick

This word in other languages

se vautrer(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awllow
  • walloww
  • wallwo
  • walolw
  • walow
  • wlalow
  • wwallow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wallow - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

awllow2walloww1wallwo2walolw2walow1wlalow2wwallow1
Edit distance from "wallow"

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 "wallow"?
"wallow" is spelled W-A-L-L-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɒ.ləʊ/.
What does "wallow" mean?
As a verb, "wallow" means: To roll oneself about in something dirty, for example in mud.
What words are commonly confused with "wallow"?
"wallow" is commonly confused with "walls", "Wally", "willow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wallow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wallow" is /ˈwɒ.ləʊ/. 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 "wallow"?
From Middle English walowen, walewen, walwen, welwen, from Old English wealwian (“to roll”), from Proto-West Germanic *walwōn, variant of *walwijan, from Proto-Germanic *walwijaną (“to roll”), from Proto-Indo-European *welw-, from Proto-Indo-Europ... 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 "wallow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Weldon#37,283Wilkie#37,286verily#37,272Womack#37,290

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

trite7 variantsaureus7 variantssizzle7 variantssawed7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list