abacus
/ˈæbəkəs/
"abacus" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“abacus” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #44,033 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #44,033
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A table or tray scattered with sand which was used for calculating or drawing.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | abacus |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈæbəkəs/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #44,033 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “abacus” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for abacus is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈæbəkəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #44,033 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for abacus, with forms such as "aabcus", "abaccus", and "abacsu". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "amicus", "aback", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English abacus, abagus, agabus (“abacus; art of counting with an abacus”), from Latin abacus, abax (“sideboard or table with a slab at the top; slab at the top of a column; counting board, sand table; board for playing games”) (compare Late… The correct English form is abacus, spelled A-B-A-C-U-S.
Definition
- 1A table or tray scattered with sand which was used for calculating or drawing.
- 2A device used for performing arithmetical calculations; (rare) a table on which loose counters are placed, or (more commonly) an instrument with beads sliding on rods, or counters in grooves, with one row of beads or counters representing units, the next tens, etc.
- 3The uppermost portion of the capital of a column immediately under the architrave, in some cases a flat oblong or square slab, in others more decorated.
- 4A board, tray, or table, divided into perforated compartments for holding bottles, cups, or the like; a kind of buffet, cupboard, or sideboard.
Etymology
From Late Middle English abacus, abagus, agabus (“abacus; art of counting with an abacus”), from Latin abacus, abax (“sideboard or table with a slab at the top; slab at the top of a column; counting board, sand table; board for playing games”) (compare Late Latin abacus (“art of arithmetic”)), from Ancient Greek ἄβαξ (ábax, “slab, counting board; board covered with sand for drawing; plate; dice-board”). Doublet of abaque. The plural form abaci is reinforced from Latin abacī.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: aabcus,abaccus,abacsu,abacuss,abaucs,abbacus,abcaus,baacus
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of abacus - 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.
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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “abacus”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-B-A-C-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈæbəkəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “amicus” - see the side-by-side comparison. abacus vs amicus
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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.