Set back or setback?
set back is a verb meaning “To delay or obstruct”; setback is a noun meaning “An obstacle, delay, disadvantage, or blow (an adverse event which slows down…”. Use set back as a verb and setback as a noun. set back is written as two words and setback as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between set back and setback?
| set back | setback | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb | noun |
| Meaning | To delay or obstruct To remove from or allow distance | An obstacle, delay, disadvantage, or blow (an adverse event which slows down, or prevents progress towards a desired outcome) Any adverse event, defeat, or impediment of progress |
| Example | I expect it will set us back by a day or so, but I think a side trip will be worthwhile | After some initial setbacks, the expedition went safely on its way |
| Forms | none | setbacks |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ˈsɛtbæk/ |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | 2.3 times per million words |
Sources: set back and setback in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of set back and setback
set back
- 1
To delay or obstruct
I expect it will set us back by a day or so, but I think a side trip will be worthwhile
- 2
To remove from or allow distance
Set it back from the road by twenty or thirty feet
- 3
To install or position behind a boundary or surface, or in a recess
The statue was set back in a niche
- 4
To cost money
How much do you suppose that fancy dress set her back?
- 5
To reverse, go backwards
setback
- 1
An obstacle, delay, disadvantage, or blow (an adverse event which slows down, or prevents progress towards a desired outcome)
After some initial setbacks, the expedition went safely on its way
- 2
Any adverse event, defeat, or impediment of progress
- 3
USThe required distance between a structure and a road
- 4
A step-like recession in a wall
Setbacks were initially used for structural reasons, but now are often mandated by land use codes
- 5
An offset to the temperature setting of a thermostat to cover a period when more or less heating is required than usual
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, set back or setback?
set back is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; setback 2.3 times per million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search set back vs setback?
“set back vs setback” is searched about 10 times a month on Google and 10 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“setback vs set back”, “set back or setback”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.