well-known
/ˌwɛlˈnoʊn/
"well-known" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“well-known” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Familiar, famous, renowned, noted or widely known.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | well-known |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌwɛlˈnoʊn/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “well-known” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for well-known is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌwɛlˈnoʊn/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for well-known in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English well knowen. By surface analysis, well + known. The correct English form is well-known, spelled W-E-L-L---K-N-O-W-N.
Definition
- 1Familiar, famous, renowned, noted or widely known.
- 2Generally recognized; reserved for some usual purpose.
Etymology
From Middle English well knowen. By surface analysis, well + known.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “well-known”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-E-L-L---K-N-O-W-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌwɛlˈnoʊn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.