abaft
/əˈbæft/preposition, adverb
abaft is spelled A-B-A-F-T: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 16 million words in written English, the 119,826th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a preposition, abaft means “Behind; toward the stern relative to some other object or position; aft of” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in abaft?
| Letters | 5: A-B-A-F-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 16 million words; the 119,826th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is abaft?
Abaft appears about once in every 16 million words in written English, the 119,826th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce abaft?
- UK /əˈbɑːft/
- US /əˈbæft/
Abaft has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-abaft.ogg, En-ca-abaft.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with abaft?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as abaft from its last stressed vowel (/æft/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: bafta.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of abaft
- baft
- more abaft comparative
- most abaft superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does abaft mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
preposition
- 1
Behind; toward the stern relative to some other object or position; aft of.
The captain stood abaft the wheelhouse.
adverb
- 1
On the aft side; in the stern.
We drifted with the wind abaft.
- 2
obsoleteBackwards.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Abaft in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | en arrière de, sur l'arrière de , sur l'arrière, vers l'arrière |
| German | achtern, hintern , achteraus |
| Spanish | a popa |
| Portuguese | à popa |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does abaft come from?
From Middle English obaft, baft, baften, from Old English beæftan; be (“by”) (modern English by) + æftan (“behind”) (modern English after). See also aft.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).