access

/ˈæksɛs/

//ˈæksɛs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“access” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #940. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#940
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A way or means of approaching or entering; an entrance; a passage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-access · access · English

access · rank #940 · 5 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #940
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH ways

Nearest frequency peer: ways (-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 neighbourhood for “access”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “access” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

access vs aces
67% similar
access vs acres
67% similar
access vs aches
67% similar

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

Key facts for access
PropertyValue
Headwordaccess
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæksɛs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#940
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “access” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).accesslands 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 “ways” (#939), “aren't” (#941), “waiting” (#938). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around access (IPA /ˈæksɛs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #940 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for access, with forms such as "acces", "accses", and "acecss". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "aces", "acres", "aches", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English accesse, acces, borrowed from Middle French acces (“attack, onslaught”) or from its source Latin accessus, perfect passive participle of accēdō (“approach; accede”), from ad (“to, toward, at”) + cēdō (“move, yield”). Doublet of accessus.… The correct English form is access, spelled A-C-C-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A way or means of approaching or entering; an entrance; a passage.
  2. 2
    The act of approaching or entering; an advance.
  3. 3
    The right or ability of approaching or entering; admittance; admission; accessibility.
  4. 4
    The quality of being easy to approach or enter.
  5. 5
    Admission to sexual intercourse.
  6. 6
    An increase by addition; accession
  7. 7
    An onset, attack, or fit of disease; an ague fit.
  8. 8
    An outburst of an emotion; a paroxysm; a fit of passion.
  9. 9
    The right of a noncustodial parent to visit their child.
  10. 10
    The process of locating data in memory.
  11. 11
    Connection to or communication with a computer program or to the Internet.
  12. 12
    Complicity or assent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The door provides access to the premises.
  2. All access was thronged.

Etymology

From Middle English accesse, acces, borrowed from Middle French acces (“attack, onslaught”) or from its source Latin accessus, perfect passive participle of accēdō (“approach; accede”), from ad (“to, toward, at”) + cēdō (“move, yield”). Doublet of accessus. First attested in the early 14th century. The sense "entrance" was first attested about 1380.

This word in other languages

acceso(Español)accès(Français)Zugang(Deutsch)acesso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acces
  • accses
  • acecss
  • acess
  • cacess

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of access - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

acces1accses2acecss2acess1cacess2
Edit distance from "access"

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 "access"?
"access" is spelled A-C-C-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæksɛs/.
What does "access" mean?
As a noun, "access" means: A way or means of approaching or entering; an entrance; a passage.
What words are commonly confused with "access"?
"access" is commonly confused with "aces", "acres", "aches". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "access"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "access" is /ˈæksɛs/. 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 "access"?
From Middle English accesse, acces, borrowed from Middle French acces (“attack, onslaught”) or from its source Latin accessus, perfect passive participle of accēdō (“approach; accede”), from ad (“to, toward, at”) + cēdō (“move, yield”). Doublet of... 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 "access", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

aren't#941listen#929forget#924Europe#968

Similar misspelling depth

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

base5 variantsokay5 variantsoffer5 variantshuge5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "access". Here's where to go from here.

  • "access" maps to 15 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "aces". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #940 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list