warn

/wɔːn/

//wɔːn// verb

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

"warn" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“warn” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,976. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,976
frequency rank, English
12,113
“W” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To make (someone) aware of (something impending); especially:

Corpus desk

Index EN-warn · warn · English

warn · rank #6,976 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,976
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 12,113
  • PHOTO-FINISH voltage

Nearest frequency peer: voltage (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “warn”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “warn” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

warn vs was
50% similar
warn vs way
50% similar
warn vs win
50% similar

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

Key facts for warn
PropertyValue
Headwordwarn
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/wɔːn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#6,976
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “warn” 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). warn lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around warn (IPA /wɔːn/), averb. Corpus frequency is #6,976 among 12,113 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for warn, with forms such as "awrn", "wanr", and "warnn". 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, "was", "way", "win", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English warnen, warnien (“to warn; admonish”), from Old English warnian (“to take heed; warn”), from Proto-Germanic *warnōną (“to warn; take heed”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to be aware; give heed”). Cognate with Dutch waarnen (obsolete)… The correct English form is warn, spelled W-A-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make (someone) aware of (something impending); especially:
  2. 2
    To make (someone) aware of (something impending); especially:
  3. 3
    To make (someone) aware of (something impending); especially:
  4. 4
    To make (someone) aware of (something impending); especially:
  5. 5
    To caution or admonish (someone) against unwise or unacceptable behaviour.
  6. 6
    To advise or order to go or stay away.
  7. 7
    To give warning.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We waved a flag to warn the oncoming traffic about the accident.
  2. I phoned to warn him of the road closure.

Etymology

From Middle English warnen, warnien (“to warn; admonish”), from Old English warnian (“to take heed; warn”), from Proto-Germanic *warnōną (“to warn; take heed”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to be aware; give heed”). Cognate with Dutch waarnen (obsolete), German Low German warnen, German warnen, Swedish varna, Icelandic varna.

This word in other languages

alertar(Español)avertir(Français)warnen(Deutsch)avisar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awrn
  • wanr
  • warnn
  • warrn
  • wran
  • wwarn

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

awrn2wanr2warnn1warrn1wran2wwarn1
Edit distance from "warn"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "warn"?
"warn" is spelled W-A-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is /wɔːn/.
What does "warn" mean?
As a verb, "warn" means: To make (someone) aware of (something impending); especially:
What words are commonly confused with "warn"?
"warn" is commonly confused with "was", "way", "win". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "warn"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "warn" is /wɔːn/. 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 "warn"?
From Middle English warnen, warnien (“to warn; admonish”), from Old English warnian (“to take heed; warn”), from Proto-Germanic *warnōną (“to warn; take heed”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to be aware; give heed”). Cognate with Dutch waarnen ... 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 "warn", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tire#6,970bail#6,988slam#6,961buck#6,994

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

disk6 variantsHugh6 variantslamb6 variantsheck6 variants
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