# aback vs abacus

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### aback
*adverb · IPA /əˈbæk/ · frequency rank #29,152*
Towards the back or rear; backwards.

### abacus
*noun · IPA /ˈæbəkəs/ · frequency rank #44,033*
A table or tray scattered with sand which was used for calculating or drawing.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aback-vs-abacus