agonist

/ˈæ.ɡɘ.nɪst/

//ˈæ.ɡɘ.nɪst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“agonist” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,605. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,605
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone involved in a contest or battle (as in an agon), protagonist.

Corpus desk

Index EN-agonist · agonist · English

agonist · rank #35,605 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,605
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH adieu

Nearest frequency peer: adieu (-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 “agonist”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “agonist” 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).

agonist vs amongst
71% similar
agonist vs arsonist
75% similar
agonist vs Adonis
57% similar

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

Key facts for agonist
PropertyValue
Headwordagonist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæ.ɡɘ.nɪst/
Letters7
Frequency rank#35,605
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “agonist”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).agonistlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “adieu” (#35,604), “aground” (#35,606), “airfare” (#35,607). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “agonist” is #35,605. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around agonist (IPA /ˈæ.ɡɘ.nɪst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #35,605 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for agonist, with forms such as "aggonist", "agnoist", and "agoinst". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "amongst", "arsonist", "Adonis", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin agōnista, from Ancient Greek ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs, “combatant, champion”). By surface analysis, agon or agony + -ist. The correct English form is agonist, spelled A-G-O-N-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone involved in a contest or battle (as in an agon), protagonist.
  2. 2
    The muscle that contracts while the other relaxes.
  3. 3
    A molecule that can combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiological reaction.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When bending the elbow, the biceps is the agonist.
  2. Acetylcholine is an agonist at the cholinergic receptor.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin agōnista, from Ancient Greek ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs, “combatant, champion”). By surface analysis, agon or agony + -ist.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aggonist
  • agnoist
  • agoinst
  • agonisst
  • agonistt
  • agonits
  • agonnist
  • agonsit
  • aognist
  • gaonist

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aggonist1agnoist2agoinst2agonisst1agonistt1agonits2agonnist1agonsit2
Edit distance from "agonist"

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 "agonist"?
"agonist" is spelled A-G-O-N-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæ.ɡɘ.nɪst/.
What does "agonist" mean?
As a noun, "agonist" means: Someone involved in a contest or battle (as in an agon), protagonist.
What words are commonly confused with "agonist"?
"agonist" is commonly confused with "amongst", "arsonist", "Adonis". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "agonist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "agonist" is /ˈæ.ɡɘ.nɪst/. 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 "agonist"?
Borrowed from Latin agōnista, from Ancient Greek ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs, “combatant, champion”). By surface analysis, agon or agony + -ist. 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 "agonist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

aground#35,606airfare#35,607absolve#35,601baronet#35,622

Similar misspelling depth

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

bearish10 variantsBendigo10 variantsbitumen10 variantsveritas10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list