across

/əˈkɹɒs/

//əˈkɹɒs// prep

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

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

The verdict

“across” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #556. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#556
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To, toward, or from the far side of (something that lies between two points of interest).

Corpus desk

Index EN-across · across · English

across · rank #556 · 7 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #556
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH word

Nearest frequency peer: word (-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 “across”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “across” 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).

across vs arose
67% similar
across vs arrows
67% similar
across vs aprons
67% similar

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

Key facts for across
PropertyValue
Headwordacross
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPreposition
IPA/əˈkɹɒs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#556
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “across”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).acrosslands 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 “word” (#555), “action” (#557), “study” (#554). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “across” is #556. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around across (IPA /əˈkɹɒs/), apreposition. Corpus frequency is #556 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for across, with forms such as "accross", "acorss", and "acros". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "arose", "arrows", "aprons", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree ▲ Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Old Latin en Latin in Old French en Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der.? Latin crux Old French crois Anglo-Norman an croizbor. Middle English acro… The correct English form is across, spelled A-C-R-O-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    To, toward, or from the far side of (something that lies between two points of interest).
  2. 2
    On the opposite side of (something that lies between two points of interest).
  3. 3
    across from: on the opposite side, relative to something that lies between, from (a point of interest).
  4. 4
    From one side to the other within (a space being traversed).
  5. 5
    At or near the far end of (a space).
  6. 6
    Spanning.
  7. 7
    Throughout.
  8. 8
    So as to intersect or pass through or over at an angle.
  9. 9
    In possession of full, up-to-date information about; abreast of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We rowed across the river.
  2. Fortunately, there was a bridge across the river.

Etymology

Etymology tree ▲ Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Old Latin en Latin in Old French en Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der.? Latin crux Old French crois Anglo-Norman an croizbor. Middle English acros English across From Middle English acros, from early Middle English a-croiz, a-creoyz, from Anglo-Norman an (“in, on”) + croiz (“in the form of a cross”). More at cross. By surface analysis, a- + cross.

This word in other languages

a través de(Español)à travers(Français)über(Deutsch)perpendicularmente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • accross
  • acorss
  • acros
  • acrross
  • acrsos
  • arcoss
  • caross

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of across - 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.

accross1acorss2acros1acrross1acrsos2arcoss2caross2
Edit distance from "across"

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 "across"?
"across" is spelled A-C-R-O-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkɹɒs/.
What does "across" mean?
As a preposition, "across" means: To, toward, or from the far side of (something that lies between two points of interest).
What words are commonly confused with "across"?
"across" is commonly confused with "arose", "arrows", "aprons". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "across"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "across" is /əˈkɹɒs/. 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 "across"?
Etymology tree ▲ Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Old Latin en Latin in Old French en Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der.? Latin crux Old French crois Anglo-Norman an croizbor. Middle En... 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 "across", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

action#557father#549chance#548London#543

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

clear7 variantsshe's7 variantsboard7 variantsheard7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list