world

/wɜːld/

//wɜːld// noun

"world" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“world” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #136. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#136
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The subjective human experience, regarded collectively; human collective existence; existence in general; the reality we live in.

Corpus desk

Index EN-world · world · English

world · rank #136 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #136
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH say

Nearest frequency peer: say (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “world”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “world” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

world vs worn
60% similar
world vs worm
60% similar
world vs wort
60% similar

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

Key facts for world
PropertyValue
Headwordworld
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/wɜːld/
Letters5
Frequency rank#136
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “world” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).world lands 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. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around world (IPA /wɜːld/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #136 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 18 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for world, with forms such as "owrld", "wolrd", and "wordl". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "worn", "worm", "wort", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós Proto-Germanic *weraz Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *h₂életi Proto-Germanic *alaną Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Germanic *-þiz Proto-Germanic *aldiz Proto-Germanic *… The correct English form is world, spelled W-O-R-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The subjective human experience, regarded collectively; human collective existence; existence in general; the reality we live in.
  2. 2
    The subjective human experience, regarded individually.
  3. 3
    A majority of people.
  4. 4
    The Universe.
  5. 5
    The Earth, especially in a geopolitical or cultural context, or as the physical planet.
  6. 6
    Any of several possible scenarios concerning The Earth, either as the physical planet, or in a geopolitical, cultural or societal context.
  7. 7
    (Several) alternative scenarios concerning The Earth, either as the physical planet, or in a geopolitical, cultural or societal context.
  8. 8
    A planet, especially one which is inhabited or inhabitable.
  9. 9
    A planet, especially one which is inhabited or inhabitable.
  10. 10
    A very large extent of country.
  11. 11
    In various mythologies, cosmologies, etc., one of a number of separate realms or regions having different characteristics and occupied by different types of inhabitants.
  12. 12
    A fictional realm, such as a planet, containing one or multiple societies of beings, especially intelligent ones.
  13. 13
    An individual or group perspective or social setting.
  14. 14
    The part of an operating system distributed with the kernel, consisting of the shell and other programs.
  15. 15
    A subdivision of a game, consisting of a series of stages or levels that usually share a similar environment or theme.
  16. 16
    The twenty-second trump or major arcana card of the tarot.
  17. 17
    A great amount, a lot.
  18. 18
    Age, era.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In retrospect, the process of economic globalization has meant the end of the world as we knew it.
  2. There will always be lovers, till the world’s end.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós Proto-Germanic *weraz Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *h₂életi Proto-Germanic *alaną Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Germanic *-þiz Proto-Germanic *aldiz Proto-Germanic *weraldiz Proto-West Germanic *weraldi Old English weorold Middle English world English world From Middle English world, from Old English weorold (“world”), from Proto-West Germanic *weraldi, from Proto-Germanic *weraldiz (“lifetime, human existence, world”, literally “age/era of man”), equivalent to wer (“man”) + eld (“age”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English mounde (“world”), from Old French monde, munde (“world”). Cognates Cognate with Scots warld (“world”), North Frisian Wārel, wäält, wråål (“world”), Saterland Frisian Waareld (“world”), West Frisian wrâld (“world”), Afrikaans wêreld (“world”), Bavarian Wöd (“world”), Dutch wereld (“world”), German, Luxembourgish Welt (“world”), German Low German Wereld, Werld (“world”), Vilamovian wełt (“world”), Yiddish וועלט (velt, “world”), Danish verden (“world”), Elfdalian wärd (“world”), Faroese verð, verøld (“world”), Icelandic veröld (“world”), Norn vrildan (“the earth”), Norwegian Bokmål verd, verden (“(the) world”), Norwegian Nynorsk verd (“world”), Swedish värld (“world”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • owrld
  • wolrd
  • wordl
  • worldd
  • worlld
  • worrld
  • wrold
  • wworld

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

owrld2wolrd2wordl2worldd1worlld1worrld1wrold2wworld1
Edit distance from "world"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "world"?
"world" is spelled W-O-R-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /wɜːld/.
What does "world" mean?
As a noun, "world" means: The subjective human experience, regarded collectively; human collective existence; existence in general; the reality we live in.
What words are commonly confused with "world"?
"world" is commonly confused with "worn", "worm", "wort". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "world"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "world" is /wɜːld/. 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 "world"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós Proto-Germanic *weraz Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *h₂életi Proto-Germanic *alaną Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Germanic *-þiz Proto-Germanic *aldiz Proto-... 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 "world", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "world". Here's where to go from here.

  • "world" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "worn". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #136 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "W" letter cohort. W–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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