wander

/ˈwɒndə/

//ˈwɒndə// verb

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

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

The verdict

“wander” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,821 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#11,821
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To move without purpose or specified destination; often in search of livelihood.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

wander vs wane
67% similar
wander vs Water
50% similar
wander vs wider
67% similar

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

Key facts for wander
PropertyValue
Headwordwander
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈwɒndə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,821
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “wander” 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). wander 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 wander is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈwɒndə/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,821 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for wander, with forms such as "awnder", "wadner", and "wandder". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "wane", "Water", "wider", 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 wandren, from Old English wandrian (“to wander, roam, fly around, hover; change; stray, err”), from Proto-West Germanic *wandarōn (“to wander”), from *wandōn (“to turn, change”) + *-rōn (frequentative suffix). Cognate with Scots wander (… The correct English form is wander, spelled W-A-N-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To move without purpose or specified destination; often in search of livelihood.
  2. 2
    To stray; stray from one's course; err.
  3. 3
    To commit adultery.
  4. 4
    To go somewhere indirectly or at varying speeds; to move in a curved path.
  5. 5
    Of the mind, to lose focus or clarity of argument or attention.

Etymology

From Middle English wandren, from Old English wandrian (“to wander, roam, fly around, hover; change; stray, err”), from Proto-West Germanic *wandarōn (“to wander”), from *wandōn (“to turn, change”) + *-rōn (frequentative suffix). Cognate with Scots wander (“to wander”), German wandern (“to wander, roam, hike, migrate”), Dutch wandelen (“to wander, roam, hike, migrate”), Danish vandre (“to wander, roam, hike, migrate”), Swedish vandra (“to wander, hike”).

This word in other languages

vagar(Español)errer(Français)umherstreifen(Deutsch)vagar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: awnder,wadner,wandder,wanderr,wandre,wanedr,wannder,wnader,wwander

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

awnder2wadner2wandder1wanderr1wandre2wanedr2wannder1wnader2
Edit distance from "wander"

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 "wander"?
"wander" is spelled W-A-N-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɒndə/.
What does "wander" mean?
As a verb, "wander" means: To move without purpose or specified destination; often in search of livelihood.
What words are commonly confused with "wander"?
"wander" is commonly confused with "wane", "Water", "wider". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wander"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wander" is /ˈwɒndə/. 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 "wander"?
From Middle English wandren, from Old English wandrian (“to wander, roam, fly around, hover; change; stray, err”), from Proto-West Germanic *wandarōn (“to wander”), from *wandōn (“to turn, change”) + *-rōn (frequentative suffix). Cognate with Scot... 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 “wander”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-A-N-D-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈwɒndə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “wane” - see the side-by-side comparison. wander vs wane
  • 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