abra

/ˈæbɹə/

//ˈæbɹə// noun

"abra" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abra” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #42,507) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#42,507
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
2
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - a narrow mountain or mesa pass

Corpus desk

Index EN-abra · abra · English

abra · rank #42,507 · 2 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,507
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 2 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH abate

Nearest frequency peer: abate (-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 neighbours of confusable “abra”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “abra” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

abra vs AR
0% similar
abra vs are
50% similar
abra vs air
50% similar

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

Key facts for abra
PropertyValue
Headwordabra
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæbɹə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#42,507
Misspellings tracked2
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “abra”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “abate” (#42,506), “accesses” (#42,508), “adenosine” (#42,509). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “abra” is #42,507. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for abra is neighbouring look-alikes ("AR", "are", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈæbɹə/. Frequency #42,507 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Gloss: "a narrow mountain or mesa pass".

Our generated misspelling index lists 2 likely wrong-spelling variants for abra, including "abar" and "abbra". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "AR", "are", "air", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Spanish abra. Doublet of haven. The correct English form is abra, spelled A-B-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    a narrow mountain or mesa pass

Etymology

From Spanish abra. Doublet of haven.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abar
  • abbra

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

abar2abbra1
Edit distance from "abra"

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 "abra"?
"abra" is spelled A-B-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæbɹə/.
What does "abra" mean?
As a noun, "abra" means: a narrow mountain or mesa pass
What words are commonly confused with "abra"?
"abra" is commonly confused with "AR", "are", "air". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "abra"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abra" is /ˈæbɹə/. 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 "abra"?
From Spanish abra. Doublet of haven. 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 "abra", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list