abject

/ˈæbd͡ʒɛkt/

//ˈæbd͡ʒɛkt// adj

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

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

The verdict

“abject” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,803. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,803
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Existing in or sunk to a low condition, position, or state; contemptible, despicable, miserable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-abject · abject · English

abject · rank #28,803 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,803
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH actionable

Nearest frequency peer: actionable (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “abject”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “abject” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

abject vs affect
67% similar
abject vs aspect
67% similar
abject vs absent
67% similar

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

Key facts for abject
PropertyValue
Headwordabject
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈæbd͡ʒɛkt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#28,803
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “abject” sits in English frequency

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).abjectlands 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 “actionable” (#28,804), “yoghurt” (#28,800), “aes” (#28,806). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around abject (IPA /ˈæbd͡ʒɛkt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #28,803 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for abject, with forms such as "abbject", "abejct", and "abjcet". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "affect", "aspect", "absent", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *h₂epó The adjective is derived from Late Middle English abiect, abject (adjective) [and other forms], from Middle French abject (modern French abject, abjet (obsolete)), and from its etymon Latin abiectus (“abandoned; cast aside”), an adjective u… The correct English form is abject, spelled A-B-J-E-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Existing in or sunk to a low condition, position, or state; contemptible, despicable, miserable.
  2. 2
    Complete; downright; utter.
  3. 3
    Lower than nearby areas; low-lying.
  4. 4
    Of a person: cast down in hope or spirit; showing utter helplessness, hopelessness, or resignation; also, grovelling; ingratiating; servile.
  5. 5
    Marginalized as deviant.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. These whelpes of the first lytter of gentilitie, these exhalations, drawen vp to the heauen of honour from the dunghill of abiect fortune, haue long been on horsebacke to come riding to your diuellship; but, I know not how, lyke Saint George, they are alwaies mounted but neuer moue.
  2. VVhen as thoſe fallovv Deere, and huge-hancht Stags that graz'd / Vpon her ſhaggy Heaths, the paſſenger amaz'd / To ſee their mighty Heards, vvith high-palmd heads to threat / The vvoods of o'regrovvne Oakes; as though they meant to ſet / Their hornes to th'others heights. / But novv, both thoſe and theſe / Are by vile gaine deuour'd: So abiect are our da…

Etymology

PIE word *h₂epó The adjective is derived from Late Middle English abiect, abject (adjective) [and other forms], from Middle French abject (modern French abject, abjet (obsolete)), and from its etymon Latin abiectus (“abandoned; cast aside”), an adjective use of the perfect passive participle of abiciō (“to discard, throw away”), from ab- (prefix meaning ‘away from’) + iaciō (“to throw”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(H)yeh₁- (“to throw”)). The noun is derived from the adjective. Cognates * Italian abiecto (obsolete), abietto * Late Latin abiectus (“humble or poor person”, noun) * Spanish abjecto (obsolete), abyecto

This word in other languages

abyecto(Español)abject(Français)abjekt(Deutsch)abjeto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abbject
  • abejct
  • abjcet
  • abjecct
  • abjectt
  • abjetc
  • abjject
  • ajbect
  • baject

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

abbject1abejct2abjcet2abjecct1abjectt1abjetc2abjject1ajbect2
Edit distance from "abject"

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 "abject"?
"abject" is spelled A-B-J-E-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæbd͡ʒɛkt/.
What does "abject" mean?
As an adjective, "abject" means: Existing in or sunk to a low condition, position, or state; contemptible, despicable, miserable.
What words are commonly confused with "abject"?
"abject" is commonly confused with "affect", "aspect", "absent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "abject"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abject" is /ˈæbd͡ʒɛkt/. 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 "abject"?
PIE word *h₂epó The adjective is derived from Late Middle English abiect, abject (adjective) [and other forms], from Middle French abject (modern French abject, abjet (obsolete)), and from its etymon Latin abiectus (“abandoned; cast aside”), an a... 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 "abject", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

afield#28,808Xiaomi#28,796alight#28,812Xander#28,794

Similar misspelling depth

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

armpit9 variantsaustere9 variantsbacker9 variantsbagging9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "abject". Here's where to go from here.

  • "abject" maps to 4 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "affect". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #28,803 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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