wonderful

/ˈwʌn.də.fl̩/

//ˈwʌn.də.fl̩// adj

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

"wonderful" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wonderful” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,514. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,514
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Tending to excite wonder; surprising, extraordinary.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wonderful · wonderful · English

wonderful · rank #1,514 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,514
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH whom

Nearest frequency peer: whom (-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 “wonderful”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “wonderful” 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).

wonderful vs wonderfully
82% similar

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

Key facts for wonderful
PropertyValue
Headwordwonderful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈwʌn.də.fl̩/
Letters9
Frequency rank#1,514
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wonderful”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).wonderfullands 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 “whom” (#1,513), “agreed” (#1,515), “who's” (#1,512). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wonderful” is #1,514. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around wonderful (IPA /ˈwʌn.də.fl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,514 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for wonderful, with forms such as "ownderful", "wnoderful", and "wodnerful". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "wonderfully", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wonderful, wondirful, from Old English wundorful (“wonderful”), from Proto-West Germanic *wundrafull, equivalent to wonder + -ful. Cognate Dutch wondervol (“wonderful”), German wundervoll (“wonderful”). Compare Old English wuldorfull (“g… The correct English form is wonderful, spelled W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tending to excite wonder; surprising, extraordinary.
  2. 2
    Surprisingly excellent; very good or admirable, extremely impressive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His delusion was not wonderful, but most natural.
  2. It is not wonderful that Mrs Smith declined to visit the beer garden, in view of her militant temperance. [=It is no wonder that she declined.]

Etymology

From Middle English wonderful, wondirful, from Old English wundorful (“wonderful”), from Proto-West Germanic *wundrafull, equivalent to wonder + -ful. Cognate Dutch wondervol (“wonderful”), German wundervoll (“wonderful”). Compare Old English wuldorfull (“glorious”).

Synonyms

awesomebasedbeatbewilderingenchantingextraordinarydivinefabulousfantabulosafantabulousfascinatingfinger-lickin' goodfrabjousgrandeurgrandiosegrandgreatimpressiveinspiringlovely jubblymagnificentmajesticmajormarvellous/marvelousmirandousmystifyingphenomenalsellysplendidstupefyingstupendoussupercalifragilisticexpialidociousunbelievablewildwondrousluxurious

Antonyms

boringcommondisgustingdullhorribleinsignificantlusterlessmonotonousmundaneno wondersmall wondertediousterribleunimpressiveuninspiringuninterestingunwonderful

This word in other languages

maravilloso(Español)merveilleux(Français)wunderbar(Deutsch)maravilhoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ownderful
  • wnoderful
  • wodnerful
  • wondderful
  • wondefrul
  • wonderfful
  • wonderflu
  • wonderfull
  • wonderrful
  • wonderufl
  • wondreful
  • wonedrful
  • wonnderful
  • wwonderful

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ownderful2wnoderful2wodnerful2wondderful1wondefrul2wonderfful1wonderflu2wonderfull1
Edit distance from "wonderful"

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 "wonderful"?
"wonderful" is spelled W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwʌn.də.fl̩/.
What does "wonderful" mean?
As an adjective, "wonderful" means: Tending to excite wonder; surprising, extraordinary.
What words are commonly confused with "wonderful"?
"wonderful" is commonly confused with "wonderfully". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wonderful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wonderful" is /ˈwʌn.də.fl̩/. 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 "wonderful"?
From Middle English wonderful, wondirful, from Old English wundorful (“wonderful”), from Proto-West Germanic *wundrafull, equivalent to wonder + -ful. Cognate Dutch wondervol (“wonderful”), German wundervoll (“wonderful”). Compare Old English wuld... 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 "wonderful", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

everybody#1,525religious#1,497structure#1,543mentioned#1,566

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

condition14 variantsoperations14 variantsshouldn't14 variantsapparently14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list