abduct

/æbˈdʌkt/

//æbˈdʌkt// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"abduct" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abduct” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,664. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,664
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To take away by force; to carry away (a human being) wrongfully and usually with violence or deception; to kidnap.

Corpus desk

Index EN-abduct · abduct · English

abduct · rank #39,664 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,664
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH abolitionist

Nearest frequency peer: abolitionist (+1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “abduct”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “abduct” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

abduct vs about
67% similar
abduct vs adult
67% similar
abduct vs Abdul
50% similar

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

Key facts for abduct
PropertyValue
Headwordabduct
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/æbˈdʌkt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#39,664
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “abduct”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).abductlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “abolitionist” (#39,665), “Addie” (#39,668), “zorro” (#39,659). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “abduct” is #39,664. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around abduct (IPA /æbˈdʌkt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #39,664 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for abduct, with forms such as "abbduct", "abdcut", and "abdduct". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "about", "adult", "Abdul", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin abductus, perfect passive participle of abduco (“to lead away”), from ab (“away”) + duco (“to lead”). * (physiology): Back-formation from abduction. The correct English form is abduct, spelled A-B-D-U-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To take away by force; to carry away (a human being) wrongfully and usually with violence or deception; to kidnap.
  2. 2
    To draw away, as a limb or other part, from the median axis of the body.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how abduct appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. to abduct children
  2. I was abducted by aliens.

Etymology

From Latin abductus, perfect passive participle of abduco (“to lead away”), from ab (“away”) + duco (“to lead”). * (physiology): Back-formation from abduction.

Synonyms

carry offdrag awaykidnaprun away withseizespirit awaystretchtake away

Antonyms

adductreinstaterestore

This word in other languages

raptar(Español)enlever(Français)entführen(Deutsch)raptar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abbduct
  • abdcut
  • abdduct
  • abducct
  • abductt
  • abdutc
  • abudct
  • adbuct
  • baduct

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of abduct - 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.

abbduct1abdcut2abdduct1abducct1abductt1abdutc2abudct2adbuct2
Edit distance from "abduct"

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 "abduct"?
"abduct" is spelled A-B-D-U-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /æbˈdʌkt/.
What does "abduct" mean?
As a verb, "abduct" means: To take away by force; to carry away (a human being) wrongfully and usually with violence or deception; to kidnap.
What words are commonly confused with "abduct"?
"abduct" is commonly confused with "about", "adult", "Abdul". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "abduct"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abduct" is /æbˈdʌkt/. 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 "abduct"?
From Latin abductus, perfect passive participle of abduco (“to lead away”), from ab (“away”) + duco (“to lead”). * (physiology): Back-formation from abduction. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "abduct", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

aether#39,669zipped#39,658Alexey#39,673amicus#39,677

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

whoosh9 variantswebbing9 variantsAsbury9 variantswafers9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list