almost

Name: almost, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈɔːl.məʊst/

//ˈɔːl.məʊst// adv

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“almost” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #395 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.

#395
frequency rank, English: 6
letters: 9
tracked misspellings: 7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Very close to, but not quite.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

almost vs alot

67% similar

almost vs Amos

50% similar

almost vs alms

67% similar

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

Key facts for almost
Property	Value
Headword	almost
Language	English
Part of speech	Adverb
IPA	/ˈɔːl.məʊst/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#395
Misspellings tracked	9
Confusable pairs	7
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “almost” sits in English frequency

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

#395

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for almost is 6 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɔːl.məʊst/. Corpus data places it at rank #395 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for almost, with forms such as "allmost", "almmost", and "almosst". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "alot", "Amos", "alms", 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 *h₂el-der.? Proto-Indo-European *h₂elnós Proto-Germanic *allaz Proto-Germanic *ala- Proto-West Germanic *ala- Old English æl- Proto-Indo-European *meh₂-der. Proto-Germanic *maiz Proto-Germanic *maistaz Proto-Germanic *mais… The correct English form is almost, spelled A-L-M-O-S-T.

Definition

1
Very close to, but not quite.
2
Up to, except for a negligible set (where negligible is not universally but contextually defined).
3
Up to, except for a negligible set (where negligible is not universally but contextually defined).

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Indo-European *h₂elnós Proto-Germanic *allaz Proto-Germanic *ala- Proto-West Germanic *ala- Old English æl- Proto-Indo-European *meh₂-der. Proto-Germanic *maiz Proto-Germanic *maistaz Proto-Germanic *maist Proto-West Germanic *maist Old English mǣst Old English eallmǣst Middle English almost English almost From Middle English almost, from Old English eallmǣst (“nearly all, almost, for the most part”), equivalent to al- (“all”) + most.

Synonyms

nearly nigh well-nigh near close to next to practically virtually not yet not all but almost as good asas near as makes no differencefornigh just about more or lessnear as damn itnigh on nighwhat not quite pretty muchtantamount to

Antonyms

mostly somewhat slightly very

This word in other languages

casi(Español)presque(Français)fast(Deutsch)quase(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: allmost,almmost,almosst,almostt,almots,almsot,alomst,amlost,lamost

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of almost - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "almost"

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 "almost"?

"almost" is spelled A-L-M-O-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɔːl.məʊst/.

What does "almost" mean?

As an adverb, "almost" means: Very close to, but not quite.

What words are commonly confused with "almost"?

"almost" is commonly confused with "alot", "Amos", "alms". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "almost"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "almost" is /ˈɔːl.məʊst/. 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 "almost"?

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.

Using “almost”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is A-L-M-O-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈɔːl.məʊst/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “alot” - see the side-by-side comparison. almost vs alot
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.