all-around

adj

"all-around" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“all-around” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Able to do many or all things well.

Corpus desk

Index EN-all-around · all-around · English

all-around · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 all-around
PropertyValue
Headwordall-around
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “all-around” in English

all-aroundranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

all-around is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for all-around, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From all- + around, compare all-round. The correct English form is all-around, spelled A-L-L---A-R-O-U-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Able to do many or all things well.
  2. 2
    Comprehensive in extent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He is said to be a greater hunter and an all around sport.
  2. If you want to polish your reputation as an all-around digital photographer, plan on developing at least a modicum of skill with a decent image editing program.

Etymology

From all- + around, compare all-round.

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 "all-around"?
"all-around" is spelled A-L-L---A-R-O-U-N-D.
What does "all-around" mean?
As an adjective, "all-around" means: Able to do many or all things well.
What is the origin of the word "all-around"?
From all- + around, compare all-round. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list