Renown is a noun: fame or high reputation — "a writer of great renown". Renowned is the adjective: famous — "a renowned writer". The frequent error is dropping the -ed and writing "a renown chef", which uses a noun where an adjective is needed.
The core difference
- renown (noun) — fame itself: She achieved international renown.
- renowned (adjective) — describing someone famous: a renowned surgeon.
The mistake
"A renown chef" appears constantly, including in print. It is the same class of error as writing "a fame chef" — the noun has been put where the describing word belongs. The fix is one letter pair: renowned.
How to check
Substitute fame and famous. If fame fits, you want renown; if famous fits, you want renowned. "A famous chef" works, so renowned is correct there. "A writer of great fame" works, so renown is correct there.
Where the word comes from
From Old French renomer, to make famous, built on Latin nomen, name — the same root as nominate and noun. To have renown is, literally, to be re-named: spoken of again and again.
