ab initio
/ˌæb ɪˈnɪʃ.i.oʊ/
"ab-initio" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ab initio” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - From the time when a law, legal right or decree, contract, ownership interest, partnership (etc.) comes into force.
Corpus desk
Index EN-ab-initio · ab initio · English
ab initio · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "A" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ab initio |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ˌæb ɪˈnɪʃ.i.oʊ/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “ab initio” in English
Rare enough to double-check
ab initio is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ˌæb ɪˈnɪʃ.i.oʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for ab initio, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin ab (“from”) + initiō, ablative singular of initium (“beginning”). The correct English form is ab initio, spelled A-B- -I-N-I-T-I-O.
Definition
- 1From the time when a law, legal right or decree, contract, ownership interest, partnership (etc.) comes into force.
- 2Calculated from first principles, i.e. from basic laws without any further additional assumptions.
- 3Taken with no prior qualifications.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how ab initio appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
As the Act was passed without the required quorum, the constitutional court struck down the Act and declared it to be void ab initio
Any child marriage solemnised in contravention of an injunction order issued under section 13, whether interim or final, shall be void ab initio.
Etymology
From Latin ab (“from”) + initiō, ablative singular of initium (“beginning”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.