werewolf

/ˈwɛːwʊlf/

//ˈwɛːwʊlf// noun

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

"werewolf" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“werewolf” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,995. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,995
frequency rank, English
12,113
“W” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person who is transformed or can transform into a wolf or a wolflike human, often said to do so during a full moon.

Key facts for werewolf
PropertyValue
Headwordwerewolf
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɛːwʊlf/
Letters8
Frequency rank#18,995
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “werewolf” 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). werewolf 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 12 spelling variants around werewolf (IPA /ˈwɛːwʊlf/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,995 among 12,113 “W” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A person who is transformed or can transform into a wolf or a wolflike human, often said to do so during a full moon.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for werewolf, with forms such as "ewrewolf", "weerwolf", and "wereowlf". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English werwolf, from Old English werewulf, from Proto-West Germanic *werawulf, from Proto-West Germanic *wer (“man”) + *wulf (“wolf”). Cognate with Dutch weerwolf, Low German Warwulf, German Werwolf, Danish varulv, Swedish varulv, and even poss… The correct English form is werewolf, spelled W-E-R-E-W-O-L-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who is transformed or can transform into a wolf or a wolflike human, often said to do so during a full moon.

Etymology

From Middle English werwolf, from Old English werewulf, from Proto-West Germanic *werawulf, from Proto-West Germanic *wer (“man”) + *wulf (“wolf”). Cognate with Dutch weerwolf, Low German Warwulf, German Werwolf, Danish varulv, Swedish varulv, and even possibly Finnish vironsusi. By surface analysis, were- + wolf. * Compare French garou in loup-garou; French dialectal gairou, varou (“werewolf”); Medieval Latin gerulphus, garulphus (“werewolf”); all from Germanic, probably Frankish *werawulf.

This word in other languages

hombre lobo(Español)loup-garou(Français)Werwolf(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ewrewolf
  • weerwolf
  • wereowlf
  • werewlof
  • werewofl
  • werewolff
  • werewollf
  • werewwolf
  • werrewolf
  • werweolf
  • wreewolf
  • wwerewolf

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ewrewolf2weerwolf2wereowlf2werewlof2werewofl2werewolff1werewollf1werewwolf1
Edit distance from "werewolf"

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 "werewolf"?
"werewolf" is spelled W-E-R-E-W-O-L-F. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɛːwʊlf/.
What does "werewolf" mean?
As a noun, "werewolf" means: A person who is transformed or can transform into a wolf or a wolflike human, often said to do so during a full moon.
What are common misspellings of "werewolf"?
Common misspellings include "ewrewolf", "weerwolf", "wereowlf", "werewlof", "werewofl". The correct spelling is "werewolf".
How do you pronounce "werewolf"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "werewolf" is /ˈwɛːwʊlf/. 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 "werewolf"?
From Middle English werwolf, from Old English werewulf, from Proto-West Germanic *werawulf, from Proto-West Germanic *wer (“man”) + *wulf (“wolf”). Cognate with Dutch weerwolf, Low German Warwulf, German Werwolf, Danish varulv, Swedish varulv, and... 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 “werewolf”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-E-R-E-W-O-L-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈwɛːwʊlf/ (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

Same frequency band

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