wrong
/ˈɹɔŋ/adjective, adverb, noun, verb
wrong is spelled W-R-O-N-G: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 245 times per million words in written English, the 402nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, wrong means “Incorrect or untrue” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in wrong?
| Letters | 5: W-R-O-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 245 times per million words; the 402nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is wrong?
Wrong appears 245 times per million words in written English, the 402nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce wrong?
- UK /ˈɹɒŋ/
- /ɹaŋ/
- US /ˈɹɔŋ/
Wrong has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-wrong.ogg, En-ca-wrong.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with wrong?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as wrong from its last stressed vowel (/ɔŋ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: grown.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of wrong
- more wrong comparative
- most wrong superlative
- wrongs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- wronging participle, present
- wronged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wrong mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Incorrect or untrue.
Some of your answers were correct, and some were wrong.
- 2
Asserting something incorrect or untrue.
You're wrong: he's not Superman at all.
- 3
Immoral, not good, bad.
It is wrong to lie.
- 4
Improper; unfit; unsuitable.
A bikini is the wrong thing to wear on a cold day.
- 5
Not working; out of order.
Something is wrong with my cellphone.
- 6
Designed to be worn or placed inward.
the wrong side of a garment or of a piece of cloth
- 7
Twisted; wry.
a wrong nose
adverb
- 1
informalIn a way that isn't right; incorrectly, wrongly.
I spelled several names wrong in my address book.
noun
- 1
Something that is immoral or not good.
Injustice is a heinous wrong.
- 2
An instance of wronging someone (sometimes with possessive to indicate the wrongdoer).
- 3
The incorrect or unjust position or opinion.
- 4
The opposite of right; the concept of badness.
verb
- 1
To treat unjustly; to injure or harm; to do wrong by.
The dealer wronged us by selling us this lemon of a car.
- 2
To deprive of some right, or to withhold some act of justice.
- 3
To slander; to impute evil to unjustly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wrong in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | erroné, incorrect, fautif, faux , dans l'erreur, avoir tort |
| German | falsch, verkehrt , falschliegen, irren, danebenliegen , Vergehen |
| Portuguese | errado, incorreto , equivocado , imoral , incorretamente, erroneamente |
| Spanish | incorrecto, falso, equivocado, errado, erróneo, plancha quemada |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does wrong come from?
From Middle English wrong, from Old English wrang (“wrong, twisted, uneven”), from Old Norse rangr, vrangr (“crooked, wrong”), from Proto-Germanic *wrangaz (“crooked, twisted, turned awry”), from Proto-Indo-European *werḱ-, *wrengʰ- (“to twist, weave, tie together”), from *wer- (“to turn, bend”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).