abut

/əˈbʌt/

//əˈbʌt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“abut” is uncommon English (frequency #50,337 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,337
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To touch by means of a mutual border, edge or end; to border on; to lie adjacent (to); to be contiguous (said of an area of land)

Corpus desk

Index EN-abut · abut · English

abut · rank #50,337 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,337
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Adeline

Nearest frequency peer: Adeline (+2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “abut”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “abut” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for abut
PropertyValue
Headwordabut
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈbʌt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#50,337
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “abut” in English

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).abutfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Adeline” (#50,339), “adulterous” (#50,341), “aerodrome” (#50,342). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “abut” is #50,337. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

abut is uncommon English at frequency #50,337 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /əˈbʌt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for abut in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English abutten, from Medieval Latin abuttare and Old French abuter, aboter, abouter (“to touch at one end, to come to an end, aim, reach”), from Old French but (“end, aim, purpose”); akin to Old Norse butr (“piece of wood”). Equivalent to a- (“… The correct English form is abut, spelled A-B-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To touch by means of a mutual border, edge or end; to border on; to lie adjacent (to); to be contiguous (said of an area of land)
  2. 2
    To border upon; be next to; abut on; be adjacent to.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It was a time when Germany still abutted upon Russia.
  2. His land abuts on the road.

Etymology

From Middle English abutten, from Medieval Latin abuttare and Old French abuter, aboter, abouter (“to touch at one end, to come to an end, aim, reach”), from Old French but (“end, aim, purpose”); akin to Old Norse butr (“piece of wood”). Equivalent to a- (“to”) + butt (“boundary mark”).

This word in other languages

lindar(Español)jouxter(Français)angrenzen(Deutsch)

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 "abut"?
"abut" is spelled A-B-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈbʌt/.
What does "abut" mean?
As a verb, "abut" means: To touch by means of a mutual border, edge or end; to border on; to lie adjacent (to); to be contiguous (said of an area of land)
How do you pronounce "abut"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abut" is /əˈbʌt/. 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 "abut"?
From Middle English abutten, from Medieval Latin abuttare and Old French abuter, aboter, abouter (“to touch at one end, to come to an end, aim, reach”), from Old French but (“end, aim, purpose”); akin to Old Norse butr (“piece of wood”). Equivalen... 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 "abut", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Agni#50,344al's#50,347Amie#50,353Baru#50,374

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list