abreast

/əˈbɹɛst/

//əˈbɹɛst// adv

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

"abreast" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abreast” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,670. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,670
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Side by side and facing forward.

Corpus desk

Index EN-abreast · abreast · English

abreast · rank #30,670 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #30,670
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH aborigines

Nearest frequency peer: aborigines (-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 “abreast”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “abreast” 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).

abreast vs arrest
71% similar

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

Key facts for abreast
PropertyValue
Headwordabreast
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/əˈbɹɛst/
Letters7
Frequency rank#30,670
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “abreast”

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).abreastlands 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 “aborigines” (#30,669), “absurdly” (#30,671), “ABV” (#30,672). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “abreast” is #30,670. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around abreast (IPA /əˈbɹɛst/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #30,670 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for abreast, with forms such as "abbreast", "aberast", and "abraest". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "arrest", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English abrest. By surface analysis, a- (“on, at”) + breast, meaning “breasts (chests) in line, side-by-side and exactly equally advanced”; roughly “breast-by-breast”. The correct English form is abreast, spelled A-B-R-E-A-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Side by side and facing forward.
  2. 2
    Alongside; parallel to.
  3. 3
    Informed, well-informed, familiar, acquainted.
  4. 4
    Followed by of or with: up to a certain level or line; equally advanced.
  5. 5
    Breast high (of an advancing wave).
  6. 6
    Side by side; also, opposite; on a line with the vessel's beam.
  7. 7
    At the same time; simultaneously.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. On Sunday afternoon it was as dark as night, with barely room for two riders abreast on a gradient that touches 20%.
  2. The only path was narrow and rugged: two men could hardly walk abreast;

Etymology

From Middle English abrest. By surface analysis, a- (“on, at”) + breast, meaning “breasts (chests) in line, side-by-side and exactly equally advanced”; roughly “breast-by-breast”.

Synonyms

apprisedinformedup to dateup-to-date

This word in other languages

al corriente(Español)côte à côte(Français)beieinander(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abbreast
  • aberast
  • abraest
  • abreasst
  • abreastt
  • abreats
  • abresat
  • abrreast
  • arbeast
  • bareast

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of abreast - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

abbreast1aberast2abraest2abreasst1abreastt1abreats2abresat2abrreast1
Edit distance from "abreast"

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 "abreast"?
"abreast" is spelled A-B-R-E-A-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈbɹɛst/.
What does "abreast" mean?
As an adverb, "abreast" means: Side by side and facing forward.
What words are commonly confused with "abreast"?
"abreast" is commonly confused with "arrest". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "abreast"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abreast" is /əˈbɹɛst/. 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 "abreast"?
From Middle English abrest. By surface analysis, a- (“on, at”) + breast, meaning “breasts (chests) in line, side-by-side and exactly equally advanced”; roughly “breast-by-breast”. 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 "abreast", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

workman#30,658anthems#30,684Vasquez#30,641utilise#30,638

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Aguilera10 variantszucchini10 variantsValhalla10 variantstensile10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list