against

/əˈɡɛnst/

//əˈɡɛnst// prep

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

"against" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“against” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #194. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#194
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a contrary direction to.

Corpus desk

Index EN-against · against · English

against · rank #194 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-CORE #194
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH without

Nearest frequency peer: without (-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 “against”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “against” 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).

against vs again
71% similar

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

Key facts for against
PropertyValue
Headwordagainst
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPreposition
IPA/əˈɡɛnst/
Letters7
Frequency rank#194
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “against”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).againstlands 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 “without” (#193), “didn't” (#195), “Mr” (#192). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “against” is #194. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around against (IPA /əˈɡɛnst/), apreposition. Corpus frequency is #194 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 17 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for against, with forms such as "aaginst", "againnst", and "againsst". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "again", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree ▲ Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Germanic *in Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰengʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *ganganąder.? Proto-Germanic *gagin Proto-Germanic *in gagin Proto-West Germanic *in gagin Ol… The correct English form is against, spelled A-G-A-I-N-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a contrary direction to.
  2. 2
    In physical opposition to; in collision with.
  3. 3
    In physical contact with, so as to abut or be supported by.
  4. 4
    Close to, alongside.
  5. 5
    In front of; before (a background).
  6. 6
    In contrast or comparison with.
  7. 7
    In competition with, versus.
  8. 8
    Contrary to; in conflict with.
  9. 9
    In opposition to.
  10. 10
    Of betting odds, denoting a worse-than-even chance.
  11. 11
    In exchange for.
  12. 12
    As counterbalance to.
  13. 13
    As a charge on.
  14. 14
    As protection from.
  15. 15
    In anticipation of; in preparation for (a particular time, event etc.).
  16. 16
    To be paid now in contrast to the following amount to be paid later under specified circumstances, usually that a movie is made or has started filming.
  17. 17
    Exposed to.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It is hard work to swim against the current.
  2. The rain pounds against the window.

Etymology

Etymology tree ▲ Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Germanic *in Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰengʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *ganganąder.? Proto-Germanic *gagin Proto-Germanic *in gagin Proto-West Germanic *in gagin Old English onġēander. Middle English ayenes English against Formed from Middle English ayenes, agenes, againes (“in opposition to”), a southern variant of agen, or directly from again, either way with adverbial genitive singular ending -es; the parasitic -t was added circa 1350, probably by confusion with the superlative ending -est. By surface analysis, again + -st (excrescent ending). Cognate with Saterland Frisian juun (“against”), West Frisian tsjin (“against”), Dutch tegen (“against”), German Low German gegen (“against”), German gegen (“against”), Icelandic gegn (“against”).

Synonyms

versus

Antonyms

with

This word in other languages

contra(Español)contre(Français)gegen(Deutsch)contra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aaginst
  • againnst
  • againsst
  • againstt
  • againts
  • agaisnt
  • aganist
  • aggainst
  • agianst
  • gaainst

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of against - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

aaginst2againnst1againsst1againstt1againts2agaisnt2aganist2aggainst1
Edit distance from "against"

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 "against"?
"against" is spelled A-G-A-I-N-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈɡɛnst/.
What does "against" mean?
As a preposition, "against" means: In a contrary direction to.
What words are commonly confused with "against"?
"against" is commonly confused with "again". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "against"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "against" is /əˈɡɛnst/. 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 "against"?
Etymology tree ▲ Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Germanic *in Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰengʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *ganganąder.? Proto-Germanic *gagin Proto-Germanic *in gagin Proto-West Germanic *i... 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 "against", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

without#193another#176someone#213between#166

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

things10 variantshowever10 variantslooking10 variantsbusiness10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list