wonder

/ˈwʌndə/

//ˈwʌndə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“wonder” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,258. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,258
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sense of awe, astonishment and curiosity, inspired by unexpected events, novel experiences and inexplicable circumstances, sometimes accompanied by surprise, shock or reverence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wonder · wonder · English

wonder · rank #1,258 · 9 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,258
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH weekend

Nearest frequency peer: weekend (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “wonder”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “wonder” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

wonder vs worker
67% similar
wonder vs wooden
67% similar
wonder vs wooded
67% similar

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

Key facts for wonder
PropertyValue
Headwordwonder
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwʌndə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,258
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wonder”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).wonderlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “weekend” (#1,257), “worst” (#1,259), “trump” (#1,256). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wonder” is #1,258. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around wonder (IPA /ˈwʌndə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,258 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for wonder, with forms such as "ownder", "wnoder", and "wodner". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 16 confusable-pair relationships, "worker", "wooden", "wooded", 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 wonder, wunder, from Old English wundor (“wonder, miracle, marvel”), from Proto-West Germanic *wundr, from Proto-Germanic *wundrą. Cognate with Scots wunner (“wonder”), West Frisian wonder, wûnder (“wonder, miracle”), Dutch wonder (“mira… The correct English form is wonder, spelled W-O-N-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sense of awe, astonishment and curiosity, inspired by unexpected events, novel experiences and inexplicable circumstances, sometimes accompanied by surprise, shock or reverence.
  2. 2
    Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
  3. 3
    Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
  4. 4
    Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
  5. 5
    Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
  6. 6
    Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
  7. 7
    Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
  8. 8
    A mental pondering, a thought.
  9. 9
    A kind of donut; a cruller.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And they knew that it was hee which ſate for almes at the beautifull gate of the Temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened vnto him.
  2. All wonder is the effect of novelty upon ignorance.

Etymology

From Middle English wonder, wunder, from Old English wundor (“wonder, miracle, marvel”), from Proto-West Germanic *wundr, from Proto-Germanic *wundrą. Cognate with Scots wunner (“wonder”), West Frisian wonder, wûnder (“wonder, miracle”), Dutch wonder (“miracle, wonder”), Low German wunner, wunder (“wonder”), German Wunder (“miracle, wonder”), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish under (“wonder, miracle”), Icelandic undur (“wonder”). The verb is from Middle English wondren, from Old English wundrian, which is from Proto-Germanic *wundrōną. Cognate with Saterland Frisian wunnerje, West Frisian wûnderje, Dutch wonderen, German Low German wunnern, German wundern, Swedish undra, Icelandic undra. Via PIE cognate with English wish (see more).

This word in other languages

asombro(Español)merveille(Français)Wunder(Deutsch)maravilha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ownder
  • wnoder
  • wodner
  • wondder
  • wonderr
  • wondre
  • wonedr
  • wonnder
  • wwonder

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ownder2wnoder2wodner2wondder1wonderr1wondre2wonedr2wonnder1
Edit distance from "wonder"

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 "wonder"?
"wonder" is spelled W-O-N-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwʌndə/.
What does "wonder" mean?
As a noun, "wonder" means: A sense of awe, astonishment and curiosity, inspired by unexpected events, novel experiences and inexplicable circumstances, sometimes accompanied by surprise, shock or reverence.
What words are commonly confused with "wonder"?
"wonder" is commonly confused with "worker", "wooden", "wooded". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wonder"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wonder" is /ˈwʌndə/. 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 "wonder"?
From Middle English wonder, wunder, from Old English wundor (“wonder, miracle, marvel”), from Proto-West Germanic *wundr, from Proto-Germanic *wundrą. Cognate with Scots wunner (“wonder”), West Frisian wonder, wûnder (“wonder, miracle”), Dutch won... 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 "wonder", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Africa#1,260Russia#1,253master#1,250effort#1,268

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

awesome9 variantscancer9 variantsimagine9 variantsimpact9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list