abatement

/əˈbeɪt.mənt/

//əˈbeɪt.mənt// noun

"abatement" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abatement” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #40,100 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#40,100
frequency rank, English
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of abating, or the state of being abated; a lessening, diminution, or reduction; a moderation; removal or putting an end to; the suppression.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

abatement vs amazement
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for abatement
PropertyValue
Headwordabatement
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈbeɪt.mənt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#40,100
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “abatement” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). abatement lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for abatement is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈbeɪt.mənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #40,100 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for abatement, with forms such as "aabtement", "abaetment", and "abateemnt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "amazement", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English abatement, from Anglo-Norman abatre (“to abate”) (from Old French abatre), + -ment; equivalent to abate + -ment. The correct English form is abatement, spelled A-B-A-T-E-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of abating, or the state of being abated; a lessening, diminution, or reduction; a moderation; removal or putting an end to; the suppression.
  2. 2
    The deduction of minor revenues incidental to an operation in calculating the cost of the operation.
  3. 3
    The action of a person that abates, or without proper authority enters a residence after the death of the owner and before the heir takes possession.
  4. 4
    The reduction of the proceeds of a will, when the debts have not yet been satisfied; the reduction of taxes due.
  5. 5
    An amount abated; that which is taken away by way of reduction; deduction; decrease; a rebate or discount allowed; in particular from a tax.
  6. 6
    A mark of dishonor on an escutcheon; any figure added to the coat of arms tending to lower the dignity or station of the bearer.
  7. 7
    Waste of stuff in preparing to size.
  8. 8
    A beating down, a putting down.
  9. 9
    A quashing, a judicial defeat, the rendering abortive by law.
  10. 10
    Forcible entry of a stranger into an inheritance when the person seised of it dies, and before the heir or devisee can take possession; ouster.
  11. 11
    rebatement, real or imaginary marks of disgrace affixed to an escutcheon.

Etymology

From Middle English abatement, from Anglo-Norman abatre (“to abate”) (from Old French abatre), + -ment; equivalent to abate + -ment.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aabtement,abaetment,abateemnt,abatemennt,abatementt,abatemetn,abatemment,abatemnet,abatmeent,abattement,abbatement,abtaement,baatement

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of abatement - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

aabtement2abaetment2abateemnt2abatemennt1abatementt1abatemetn2abatemment1abatemnet2
Edit distance from "abatement"

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

How do you spell "abatement"?
"abatement" is spelled A-B-A-T-E-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈbeɪt.mənt/.
What does "abatement" mean?
As a noun, "abatement" means: The act of abating, or the state of being abated; a lessening, diminution, or reduction; a moderation; removal or putting an end to; the suppression.
What words are commonly confused with "abatement"?
"abatement" is commonly confused with "amazement". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "abatement"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abatement" is /əˈbeɪt.mənt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "abatement"?
From Middle English abatement, from Anglo-Norman abatre (“to abate”) (from Old French abatre), + -ment; equivalent to abate + -ment. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “abatement”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-B-A-T-E-M-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈbeɪt.mənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “amazement” - see the side-by-side comparison. abatement vs amazement
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list