wonted

/ˈwəʊntɪd/

//ˈwəʊntɪd// adj

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

The verdict

“wonted” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Usual, customary, habitual, or accustomed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wonted · wonted · English

wonted · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "W" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for wonted
PropertyValue
Headwordwonted
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈwəʊntɪd/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “wonted” in English

wontedsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

wonted is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈwəʊntɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Usual, customary, habitual, or accustomed.".

wonted doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English woonted (“usual, customary”), from wont (“custom, habit, practice”), alteration of wone (“custom, habit, practice”), from Old English wuna (“custom, habit, practice; usual, wonted”), from Proto-Germanic *wunô (“custom, practice”), from P… The correct English form is wonted, spelled W-O-N-T-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Usual, customary, habitual, or accustomed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They were faire Ladies, till they fondly ſtriu’d / With th’Heliconian maides for mayſtery; / Of whom they ouer-comen, were depriu’d / Of their proud beautie, and th’one moyity / Transform’d to fiſh, for their bold ſurquedry, / But th’vpper halfe their hew retayned ſtill, / And their ſweet skill in wonted melody; / Which euer after they abuſd to ill, / T’a…
  2. Rose Villa has once again resumed its wonted appearance; the dining-room furniture has been replaced; the tables are as nicely polished as formerly; the horsehair chairs are ranged against the wall, as regularly as ever [...]

Etymology

From Middle English woonted (“usual, customary”), from wont (“custom, habit, practice”), alteration of wone (“custom, habit, practice”), from Old English wuna (“custom, habit, practice; usual, wonted”), from Proto-Germanic *wunô (“custom, practice”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to wish, love”). Cognate with Old Frisian wona, wuna (“custom”), Old High German giwona (“custom”). More at wont, wone.

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

How do you spell "wonted"?
"wonted" is spelled W-O-N-T-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwəʊntɪd/.
What does "wonted" mean?
As an adjective, "wonted" means: Usual, customary, habitual, or accustomed.
How do you pronounce "wonted"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wonted" is /ˈwəʊntɪd/. 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 "wonted"?
From Middle English woonted (“usual, customary”), from wont (“custom, habit, practice”), alteration of wone (“custom, habit, practice”), from Old English wuna (“custom, habit, practice; usual, wonted”), from Proto-Germanic *wunô (“custom, practice... 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list