window
/ˈwɪndəʊ/
"window" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“window” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,680 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #1,680
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 12
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An opening, usually covered by one or more panes of clear glass, to allow light and air from outside to enter a building or vehicle.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | window |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈwɪndəʊ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #1,680 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 12 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “window” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for window is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈwɪndəʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,680 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 12 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 window, with forms such as "iwndow", "widnow", and "winddow". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "winds", "windy", "wisdom", 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 wyndowe, wyndown, from Old Norse vindauga (“window”, literally “wind-eye; wind-hole”), equivalent to wind + eye. Cognate with Scots windae and windock, Faroese vindeyga, Norwegian Bokmål vindu, Norwegian Nynorsk vindauge, Danish vindue, … The correct English form is window, spelled W-I-N-D-O-W.
Definition
- 1An opening, usually covered by one or more panes of clear glass, to allow light and air from outside to enter a building or vehicle.
- 2An opening, usually covered by glass, in a shop which allows people to view the shop and its products from outside; a shop window.
- 3The shutter, casement, sash with its fittings, or other framework, which closes a window opening.
- 4A period of time when something is available or possible; a limited opportunity.
- 5Something that allows one to see through or into something
- 6A restricted range.
- 7A rectangular area on a computer terminal or screen containing some kind of user interface, displaying output and allowing input, often for a single task in a multitasking system.
- 8A figure formed of lines crossing each other.
- 9The time between first infection and detectability.
- 10Synonym of chaff (“strips of material intended to confuse radar”)
- 11A function multiplied with a signal to reduce spectral leakage when performing a Fourier transform.
- 12A fenster: a geologic or tectonic window.
Etymology
From Middle English wyndowe, wyndown, from Old Norse vindauga (“window”, literally “wind-eye; wind-hole”), equivalent to wind + eye. Cognate with Scots windae and windock, Faroese vindeyga, Norwegian Bokmål vindu, Norwegian Nynorsk vindauge, Danish vindue, archaic Swedish vindöga, Elfdalian windog. Displaced native Old English ēagþȳrel (literally “eye hole”) (the rare direct descendant is eyethurl (“window, pupil, etc.”)). The “windows” among early Germanic peoples were just unglazed holes (eyes) in the wall or roof that permitted wind to pass through .
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: iwndow,widnow,winddow,windoww,windwo,winndow,winodw,wnidow,wwindow
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of window - 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.
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
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Using “window”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-I-N-D-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈwɪndəʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “winds” - see the side-by-side comparison. window vs winds
- 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.