abutment

/əˈbʌt.mn̩t/

//əˈbʌt.mn̩t// noun

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

"abutment" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abutment” is uncommon English (frequency #62,652 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,652
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The point of junction between two things, in particular a support, that abuts.

Corpus desk

Index EN-abutment · abutment · English

abutment · rank #62,652 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,652
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH accusatory

Nearest frequency peer: accusatory (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “abutment”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for abutment
PropertyValue
Headwordabutment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈbʌt.mn̩t/
Letters8
Frequency rank#62,652
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “abutment” 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).abutmentfalls 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: “accusatory” (#62,653), “AAD” (#62,650), “Advani” (#62,655). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “abutment” is #62,652. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

abutment is uncommon English at frequency #62,652 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /əˈbʌt.mn̩t/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for abutment in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1644; engineering sense first attested in 1793. From Old French aboutement. Equivalent to abut + -ment. The correct English form is abutment, spelled A-B-U-T-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The point of junction between two things, in particular a support, that abuts.
  2. 2
    The solid portion of a structure that supports the lateral pressure of an arch or vault.
  3. 3
    A construction that supports the ends of a bridge; a structure that anchors the cables on a suspension bridge.
  4. 4
    The part of a valley or canyon wall against which a dam is constructed.
  5. 5
    Something that abuts, or on which something abuts.
  6. 6
    The state of abutting.
  7. 7
    That element that shares a common boundary or surface with its neighbor.
  8. 8
    The tooth that supports a denture or bridge.
  9. 9
    A fixed point or surface where resistance is obtained.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Each of the bridges consists of six separate girder spans on brick abutments.
  2. Heavy rains have caused the dam's abutments to seep, raising concern over possible dam failure.

Etymology

First attested in 1644; engineering sense first attested in 1793. From Old French aboutement. Equivalent to abut + -ment.

This word in other languages

estribo(Español)butée(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 "abutment"?
"abutment" is spelled A-B-U-T-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈbʌt.mn̩t/.
What does "abutment" mean?
As a noun, "abutment" means: The point of junction between two things, in particular a support, that abuts.
How do you pronounce "abutment"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abutment" is /əˈbʌt.mn̩t/. 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 "abutment"?
First attested in 1644; engineering sense first attested in 1793. From Old French aboutement. Equivalent to abut + -ment. 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 "abutment", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Akkadian#62,665Albanese#62,667Aleister#62,669wideband#62,623

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list