abroad

/əˈbɹɔːd/

//əˈbɹɔːd// adv

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

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

The verdict

“abroad” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,665. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,665
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries.

Corpus desk

Index EN-abroad · abroad · English

abroad · rank #3,665 · 8 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,665
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH vacation

Nearest frequency peer: vacation (-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 “abroad”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “abroad” 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).

abroad vs abra
67% similar
abroad vs abram
67% similar
abroad vs aboard
67% similar

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

Key facts for abroad
PropertyValue
Headwordabroad
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/əˈbɹɔːd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,665
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “abroad”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).abroadlands 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 “vacation” (#3,664), “Arab” (#3,666), “thrown” (#3,663). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “abroad” is #3,665. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around abroad (IPA /əˈbɹɔːd/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #3,665 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for abroad, with forms such as "abbroad", "aborad", and "abraod". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "abra", "abram", "aboard", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in mid 13th century. From Middle English abrood (“broadly widely scattered”), from a- (“on, in”) + brood (“broad”). Equivalent to a- + broad. The correct English form is abroad, spelled A-B-R-O-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries.
  2. 2
    At large; widely; broadly; over a wide space.
  3. 3
    Without a certain confine; outside the house; away from one's abode.
  4. 4
    Before the public at large; throughout society or the world; here and there; moving without restriction.
  5. 5
    Not on target; astray; in error; confused; dazed.
  6. 6
    Played elsewhere than one's home grounds.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A closer look at North Korean history reveals what Pyongyang’s leaders really want their near-farcical belligerence to achieve — a reminder to the world that North Korea exists, and an impression abroad that its leaders are irrational and unpredictable.
  2. Another prince, deposed by the Revolution, was living abroad.

Etymology

First attested in mid 13th century. From Middle English abrood (“broadly widely scattered”), from a- (“on, in”) + brood (“broad”). Equivalent to a- + broad.

This word in other languages

de tous côtés(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abbroad
  • aborad
  • abraod
  • abroadd
  • abroda
  • abrroad
  • arboad
  • baroad

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

abbroad1aborad2abraod2abroadd1abroda2abrroad1arboad2baroad2
Edit distance from "abroad"

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 "abroad"?
"abroad" is spelled A-B-R-O-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈbɹɔːd/.
What does "abroad" mean?
As an adverb, "abroad" means: Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries.
What words are commonly confused with "abroad"?
"abroad" is commonly confused with "abra", "abram", "aboard". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "abroad"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abroad" is /əˈbɹɔːd/. 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 "abroad"?
First attested in mid 13th century. From Middle English abrood (“broadly widely scattered”), from a- (“on, in”) + brood (“broad”). Equivalent to a- + broad. 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 "abroad", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

thrown#3,663Sweden#3,660sudden#3,659bother#3,672

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

assumed8 variantsbench8 variantsstops8 variantsrugby8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list