yeoman

/ˈjəʊ.mən/

//ˈjəʊ.mən// noun

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

"yeoman" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“yeoman” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #41,482 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#41,482
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An official providing honorable service in a royal or high noble household, ranking between a squire and a page. Especially, a yeoman of the guard, a member of a ceremonial bodyguard to the UK mona...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

yeoman vs Yemen
50% similar

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

Key facts for yeoman
PropertyValue
Headwordyeoman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈjəʊ.mən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#41,482
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “yeoman” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for yeoman is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈjəʊ.mən/. Corpus data places it at rank #41,482 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for yeoman, with forms such as "eyoman", "yemoan", and "yeoamn". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Yemen", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English yoman, yeman, from Old English *ġēamann, from Proto-West Germanic *gauwjamann (compare Old Frisian gāman (“villager”), Middle High German göuman (“peasant”)), compound of Proto-West Germanic *gawi (“shire, district”) (compare Old English… The correct English form is yeoman, spelled Y-E-O-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An official providing honorable service in a royal or high noble household, ranking between a squire and a page. Especially, a yeoman of the guard, a member of a ceremonial bodyguard to the UK monarch (not to be confused with a Yeoman Warder).
  2. 2
    A dependable, diligent, or loyal worker or someone who does a great service.
  3. 3
    A former class of small freeholders who farm their own land; a commoner of good standing.
  4. 4
    A subordinate, deputy, aide, or assistant.
  5. 5
    A Yeoman Warder.
  6. 6
    A clerk in the US Navy, and US Coast Guard.
  7. 7
    In a vessel of war, the person in charge of the storeroom.
  8. 8
    A member of the Yeomanry Cavalry, officially chartered in 1794 originating around the 1760s.
  9. 9
    A member of the Imperial Yeomanry, officially created in 1890s and renamed in 1907.
  10. 10
    Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Cirrochroa, of Asia and Australasia.

Etymology

From Middle English yoman, yeman, from Old English *ġēamann, from Proto-West Germanic *gauwjamann (compare Old Frisian gāman (“villager”), Middle High German göuman (“peasant”)), compound of Proto-West Germanic *gawi (“shire, district”) (compare Old English -ġē, -ġēa (“district, region”) (in ælġē, Sūþriġēa), West Frisian gea, goa, Dutch gouw, German Gau) + *mann (“man”).

This word in other languages

terrateniente(Español)franc-tenancier(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eyoman,yemoan,yeoamn,yeomann,yeomman,yeomna,yoeman,yyeoman

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eyoman2yemoan2yeoamn2yeomann1yeomman1yeomna2yoeman2yyeoman1
Edit distance from "yeoman"

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 "yeoman"?
"yeoman" is spelled Y-E-O-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈjəʊ.mən/.
What does "yeoman" mean?
As a noun, "yeoman" means: An official providing honorable service in a royal or high noble household, ranking between a squire and a page. Especially, a yeoman of the guard, a member of a ceremonial bodyguard to the UK mona...
What words are commonly confused with "yeoman"?
"yeoman" is commonly confused with "Yemen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "yeoman"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "yeoman" is /ˈjəʊ.mən/. 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 "yeoman"?
From Middle English yoman, yeman, from Old English *ġēamann, from Proto-West Germanic *gauwjamann (compare Old Frisian gāman (“villager”), Middle High German göuman (“peasant”)), compound of Proto-West Germanic *gawi (“shire, district”) (compare O... 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.

Using “yeoman”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is Y-E-O-M-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈjəʊ.mən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Yemen” - see the side-by-side comparison. yeoman vs Yemen
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list