worn

/wɔːn/

//wɔːn// adj

"worn" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“worn” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,644. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,644
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Damaged and shabby as a result of much use.

Corpus desk

Index EN-worn · worn · English

worn · rank #4,644 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,644
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH warren

Nearest frequency peer: warren (-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 “worn”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “worn” 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).

worn vs wow
50% similar
worn vs wot
50% similar
worn vs wry
50% similar

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

Key facts for worn
PropertyValue
Headwordworn
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/wɔːn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,644
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “worn”

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).wornlands 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 “warren” (#4,643), “yea” (#4,645), “waited” (#4,642). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “worn” is #4,644. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around worn (IPA /wɔːn/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #4,644 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for worn, with forms such as "owrn", "wonr", and "wornn". 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, "wow", "wot", "wry", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: By analogy to past participles like torn from tear and sworn from swear. The correct English form is worn, spelled W-O-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Damaged and shabby as a result of much use.
  2. 2
    Worn out; exhausted.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Upon this, an unhappy-looking woman, in a sort of mourning, neat, but sadly worn, hid her face behind a meagre bundle, and was heard to sob.
  2. Preëminently is the Lake District suited for the jaded and worn, who seek in solitude and amidst scenery unmoiled and unsullied by human artifice, refreshment alike of body and spirit.

Etymology

By analogy to past participles like torn from tear and sworn from swear.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • owrn
  • wonr
  • wornn
  • worrn
  • wron
  • wworn

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

owrn2wonr2wornn1worrn1wron2wworn1
Edit distance from "worn"

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 "worn"?
"worn" is spelled W-O-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is /wɔːn/.
What does "worn" mean?
As an adjective, "worn" means: Damaged and shabby as a result of much use.
What words are commonly confused with "worn"?
"worn" is commonly confused with "wow", "wot", "wry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "worn"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "worn" is /wɔːn/. 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 "worn"?
By analogy to past participles like torn from tear and sworn from swear. 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 "worn", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list