walnut

/ˈwɔːlnʌt/

//ˈwɔːlnʌt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“walnut” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,838. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,838
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A hardwood tree of the genus Juglans.

Corpus desk

Index EN-walnut · walnut · English

walnut · rank #13,838 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,838
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH waitress

Nearest frequency peer: waitress (-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 “walnut”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “walnut” 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).

walnut vs want
67% similar
walnut vs Walt
50% similar
walnut vs wasnt
67% similar

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

Key facts for walnut
PropertyValue
Headwordwalnut
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɔːlnʌt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#13,838
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “walnut”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).walnutlands 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 “waitress” (#13,837), “waterfront” (#13,839), “vow” (#13,836). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “walnut” is #13,838. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around walnut (IPA /ˈwɔːlnʌt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,838 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for walnut, with forms such as "awlnut", "wallnut", and "walnnut". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "want", "Walt", "wasnt", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English walnote, walnutte, walnotte, from Old English wealhhnutu (“walnut”, literally “foreign nut”), from Proto-Germanic *walhaz (“foreigner”) + *hnuts (“nut”). Cognate with Dutch walnoot, German Walnuss, Swedish valnöt, Icelandic valhneta. Com… The correct English form is walnut, spelled W-A-L-N-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A hardwood tree of the genus Juglans.
  2. 2
    A nut of the walnut tree.
  3. 3
    Wood of the walnut tree.
  4. 4
    Dark brown colour, the colour of walnut wood.

Etymology

From Middle English walnote, walnutte, walnotte, from Old English wealhhnutu (“walnut”, literally “foreign nut”), from Proto-Germanic *walhaz (“foreigner”) + *hnuts (“nut”). Cognate with Dutch walnoot, German Walnuss, Swedish valnöt, Icelandic valhneta. Compare more recent term Welsh onion, which also uses Welsh to mean “foreign”.

This word in other languages

nuez(Español)noix(Français)Walnuss(Deutsch)noz(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awlnut
  • wallnut
  • walnnut
  • walntu
  • walnutt
  • walunt
  • wanlut
  • wlanut
  • wwalnut

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

awlnut2wallnut1walnnut1walntu2walnutt1walunt2wanlut2wlanut2
Edit distance from "walnut"

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 "walnut"?
"walnut" is spelled W-A-L-N-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɔːlnʌt/.
What does "walnut" mean?
As a noun, "walnut" means: A hardwood tree of the genus Juglans.
What words are commonly confused with "walnut"?
"walnut" is commonly confused with "want", "Walt", "wasnt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "walnut"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "walnut" is /ˈwɔːlnʌt/. 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 "walnut"?
From Middle English walnote, walnutte, walnotte, from Old English wealhhnutu (“walnut”, literally “foreign nut”), from Proto-Germanic *walhaz (“foreigner”) + *hnuts (“nut”). Cognate with Dutch walnoot, German Walnuss, Swedish valnöt, Icelandic val... 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 "walnut", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Truman#13,832ambush#13,852Amelia#13,853tanner#13,823

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

topping9 variantstipping9 variantsthinner9 variantssweaty9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list