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yeoman

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "yeoman", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "yeoman" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "yeoman" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

yeoman is aEnglishnoun. It 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... Pronounced /ˈjəʊ.mən/. Often confused with Yemen.

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)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of yeoman in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for yeoman is 6 letters long, classified as anoun, 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 Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 8 documented wrong-spelling variants for yeoman, with forms such as "eyoman", "yemoan", and "yeoamn". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.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… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is yeoman, spelled Y-E-O-M-A-N, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

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

Common misspellings

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

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for yeoman

Misspelling Variants of "yeoman"

eyoman6yemoan6yeoamn6yeomann7yeomman7yeomna6yoeman6yyeoman7
Misspelling Variants of "yeoman"

Frequency rank: #41,482 in English

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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter Y in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.