wrong

/ˈɹɒŋ/

//ˈɹɒŋ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“wrong” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #409. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#409
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Incorrect or untrue.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wrong · wrong · English

wrong · rank #409 · 8 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #409
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH win

Nearest frequency peer: win (-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 “wrong”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “wrong” 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).

wrong vs wrote
60% similar
wrong vs wrongs
83% similar
wrong vs wrongly
71% similar

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

Key facts for wrong
PropertyValue
Headwordwrong
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɹɒŋ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#409
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wrong”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).wronglands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “win” (#408), “along” (#410), “university” (#407). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wrong” is #409. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around wrong (IPA /ˈɹɒŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #409 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for wrong, with forms such as "rwong", "worng", and "wrnog". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "wrote", "wrongs", "wrongly", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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 t… The correct English form is wrong, spelled W-R-O-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Incorrect or untrue.
  2. 2
    Asserting something incorrect or untrue.
  3. 3
    Immoral, not good, bad.
  4. 4
    Improper; unfit; unsuitable.
  5. 5
    Not working; out of order.
  6. 6
    Designed to be worn or placed inward
  7. 7
    Twisted; wry.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Some of your answers were correct, and some were wrong.
  2. Among this princely heap, if any here / By false intelligence or wrong surmise / Hold me a foe […]

Etymology

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”). Cognate with Scots wrang (“wrong”), Danish vrang (“wrong, crooked”), Swedish vrång (“perverse, distorted”), Icelandic rangur (“wrong”), Norwegian Nynorsk rang (“wrong”), Dutch wrang (“bitter, sour”) and the first element in the mythic Old Frisian city of Rungholt (“crooked wood”). More at wring.

Synonyms

injuriousunjustfaultydetrimentalunfitunsuitablefalse

Antonyms

right

This word in other languages

incorrecto(Español)erroné(Français)falsch(Deutsch)errado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rwong
  • worng
  • wrnog
  • wrogn
  • wrongg
  • wronng
  • wrrong
  • wwrong

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wrong - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

rwong2worng2wrnog2wrogn2wrongg1wronng1wrrong1wwrong1
Edit distance from "wrong"

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 "wrong"?
"wrong" is spelled W-R-O-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɒŋ/.
What does "wrong" mean?
As an adjective, "wrong" means: Incorrect or untrue.
What words are commonly confused with "wrong"?
"wrong" is commonly confused with "wrote", "wrongs", "wrongly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wrong"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wrong" is /ˈɹɒŋ/. 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 "wrong"?
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, we... 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 "wrong", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

along#410large#399known#398needs#422

Similar misspelling depth

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

anyone8 variantspretty8 variantscoming8 variantsbecome8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list