yearn

/jɜːn/

//jɜːn// verb

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

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

The verdict

“yearn” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,293. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,293
frequency rank, English
366
“Y” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To have a strong desire for something or to do something; to long for or to do something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-yearn · yearn · English

yearn · rank #30,293 · 7 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,293
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 366
  • PHOTO-FINISH Yahweh

Nearest frequency peer: Yahweh (-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 “yearn”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “yearn” 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).

yearn vs yen
60% similar
yearn vs yer
60% similar
yearn vs yuan
60% similar

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

Key facts for yearn
PropertyValue
Headwordyearn
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/jɜːn/
Letters5
Frequency rank#30,293
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “yearn”

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).yearnlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Yahweh” (#30,292), “Yolanda” (#30,294), “Winona” (#30,291). Among 366 “Y” headwords, “yearn” is #30,293. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around yearn (IPA /jɜːn/), averb. Corpus frequency is #30,293 among 366 “Y” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for yearn, with forms such as "eyarn", "yaern", and "yeanr". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "yen", "yer", "yuan", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is derived from Middle English yernen, yern (“to express or feel desire; to desire, long or wish for; to lust after; to ask or demand for”) [and other forms], from Old English ġeornan (“to desire, yearn; to beg”) [and other forms], from Proto-West … The correct English form is yearn, spelled Y-E-A-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To have a strong desire for something or to do something; to long for or to do something.
  2. 2
    To have a strong desire for something or to do something; to long for or to do something.
  3. 3
    Of music, words, etc.: to express strong desire or longing.
  4. 4
    To have strong feelings of affection, love, sympathy, etc., toward someone.
  5. 5
    To be distressed or pained; to grieve; to mourn.
  6. 6
    Often followed by out: to perform (music) which conveys or say (words) which express strong desire or longing.
  7. 7
    To have a strong desire or longing (for something or to do something).
  8. 8
    To cause (someone) to have strong feelings of affection, love, sympathy, etc.; also, to grieve or pain (someone).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. All I yearn for is a simple life.
  2. I muſt do that my heart-ſtrings yern to do: but my word's paſt.

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English yernen, yern (“to express or feel desire; to desire, long or wish for; to lust after; to ask or demand for”) [and other forms], from Old English ġeornan (“to desire, yearn; to beg”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *girnijan (“to be eager for, desire”), from Proto-Germanic *girnijaną (“to desire, want”), from *gernaz (“eager, willing”) (from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to yearn for”)) + *-janą (suffix forming factitive verbs from adjectives). The noun is derived from the verb.

Synonyms

sigh

This word in other languages

anhelar(Español)languir(Français)verlangen(Deutsch)ansiar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eyarn
  • yaern
  • yeanr
  • yearnn
  • yearrn
  • yeran
  • yyearn

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of yearn - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

eyarn2yaern2yeanr2yearnn1yearrn1yeran2yyearn1
Edit distance from "yearn"

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 "yearn"?
"yearn" is spelled Y-E-A-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is /jɜːn/.
What does "yearn" mean?
As a verb, "yearn" means: To have a strong desire for something or to do something; to long for or to do something.
What words are commonly confused with "yearn"?
"yearn" is commonly confused with "yen", "yer", "yuan". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "yearn"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "yearn" is /jɜːn/. 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 "yearn"?
The verb is derived from Middle English yernen, yern (“to express or feel desire; to desire, long or wish for; to lust after; to ask or demand for”) [and other forms], from Old English ġeornan (“to desire, yearn; to beg”) [and other forms], from P... 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 "yearn", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

waite#30,281Armin#30,318Ashby#30,320thump#30,261

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Bambi7 variantsBondi7 variantsscour7 variantsCrewe7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list