world

\ˈwɝld\

/\ˈwɝld\/ noun

The verdict

“world” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,200 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,200
frequency rank, French
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

world vs would
80% similar
world vs worth
60% similar
world vs worms
60% similar

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

Key facts for world
PropertyValue
Headwordworld
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ˈwɝld\
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,200
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “world” 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). world 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 world is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ˈwɝld\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,200 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Monde, univers, Terre.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for world, with forms such as "owrld", "wolrd", and "wordl". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "would", "worth", "worms", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is world, spelled W-O-R-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Monde, univers, Terre.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: owrld,wolrd,wordl,worldd,worlld,worrld,wrold,wworld

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

owrld2wolrd2wordl2worldd1worlld1worrld1wrold2wworld1
Edit distance from "world"

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 "world"?
"world" is spelled W-O-R-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈwɝld\.
What does "world" mean?
As a noun, "world" means: Monde, univers, Terre.
What words are commonly confused with "world"?
"world" is commonly confused with "would", "worth", "worms". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "world"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "world" is \ˈwɝld\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "world" come from?
"world" 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 “world”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is W-O-R-L-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈwɝld\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “would” - see the side-by-side comparison. world vs would
  • 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