January

\ˈdʒæn.ju.ˌɛɹ.i\

/\ˈdʒæn.ju.ˌɛɹ.i\/ name

The verdict

“January” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #39,363 in French word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#39,363
frequency rank, French
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Janvier.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

January vs jaguar
57% similar

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

Key facts for January
PropertyValue
HeadwordJanuary
LanguageFrench
Part of speechProper noun
IPA\ˈdʒæn.ju.ˌɛɹ.i\
Letters7
Frequency rank#39,363
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “January” sits in French 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). January 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 French entry for January is 7 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ˈdʒæn.ju.ˌɛɹ.i\. Corpus data places it at rank #39,363 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Janvier.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for January, with forms such as "ajnuary", "janaury", and "jannuary". 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, "jaguar", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is January, spelled J-A-N-U-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Janvier.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ajnuary,janaury,jannuary,januarry,januaryy,januayr,januray,jaunary,jjanuary,jnauary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of January - 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.

ajnuary2janaury2jannuary1januarry1januaryy1januayr2januray2jaunary2
Edit distance from "January"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "January"?
"January" is spelled J-A-N-U-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈdʒæn.ju.ˌɛɹ.i\.
What does "January" mean?
As a proper noun, "January" means: Janvier.
What words are commonly confused with "January"?
"January" is commonly confused with "jaguar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "January"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "January" is \ˈdʒæn.ju.ˌɛɹ.i\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "January" come from?
"January" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “January”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is J-A-N-U-A-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈdʒæn.ju.ˌɛɹ.i\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “jaguar” - see the side-by-side comparison. January vs jaguar
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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