after a fashion

prep_phrase

"after-a-fashion" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“after a fashion” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a prep_phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In some way; somehow; to an extent.

Corpus desk

Index EN-after-a-fashion · after a fashion · English

after a fashion · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for after a fashion
PropertyValue
Headwordafter a fashion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPrep_phrase
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “after a fashion” in English

after a fashionfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

after a fashion is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprep_phrase. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In some way; somehow; to an extent.".

Zero misspellings are on record for after a fashion in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is after a fashion, spelled A-F-T-E-R- -A- -F-A-S-H-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    In some way; somehow; to an extent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. On gray mornings when the jests of the night before had shrunk to ribaldries without wit or dignity, they could, after a fashion, bring out this batch of common hopes and count them over, then smile at each other and repeat, by way of clinching the matter, the terse yet sincere Nietzscheanism of Gloria's defiant "I don't care!"
  2. [Henri] Soulé had decided to keep the Pavillon open, after a fashion, by closing down the salle and serving meals only in the bar and the nouvelle salle, with the help of the non-striking members of his staff—two maîtres d’hôtel, twenty-two chefs and cooks, the cashier, the hat-check girl, and a pantryman.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "after a fashion"?
"after a fashion" is spelled A-F-T-E-R- -A- -F-A-S-H-I-O-N.
What does "after a fashion" mean?
As a prep_phrase, "after a fashion" means: In some way; somehow; to an extent.
What language does "after a fashion" come from?
"after a fashion" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list