along

/əˈlɒŋ/

//əˈlɒŋ// prep

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

"along" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“along” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #410. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#410
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - By the length of; in a line with the length of; lengthwise next to.

Corpus desk

Index EN-along · along · English

along · rank #410 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #410
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH wrong

Nearest frequency peer: wrong (-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 “along”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “along” 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).

along vs Ang
40% similar
along vs alot
60% similar
along vs Avon
40% similar

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

Key facts for along
PropertyValue
Headwordalong
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPreposition
IPA/əˈlɒŋ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#410
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “along”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).alonglands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “wrong” (#409), “anyone” (#411), “win” (#408). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “along” is #410. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around along (IPA /əˈlɒŋ/), apreposition. Corpus frequency is #410 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for along, with forms such as "allong", "alnog", and "alogn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Ang", "alot", "Avon", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂éntsder. Proto-Germanic *anda- Proto-West Germanic *anda- Old English and- Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos Proto-Germanic *langaz Proto-West Germanic *lang Old English l… The correct English form is along, spelled A-L-O-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    By the length of; in a line with the length of; lengthwise next to.
  2. 2
    In a line with, with a progressive motion on; onward on; forward on.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Water whished along the boat as we rowed upstream.
  2. They were waiting for me in the drawing-room, which is a very large room, stretching along the entire front of the house, with three long windows reaching down to the floor

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂éntsder. Proto-Germanic *anda- Proto-West Germanic *anda- Old English and- Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos Proto-Germanic *langaz Proto-West Germanic *lang Old English lang Old English andlang Middle English English along From Middle English, from Old English andlang, from prefix and- + lang (“long”). Doublet of endlong.

Synonyms

alongstendlong

This word in other languages

por(Español)le long de(Français)entlang(Deutsch)por(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • allong
  • alnog
  • alogn
  • alongg
  • alonng
  • aolng
  • laong

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

allong1alnog2alogn2alongg1alonng1aolng2laong2
Edit distance from "along"

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 "along"?
"along" is spelled A-L-O-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈlɒŋ/.
What does "along" mean?
As a preposition, "along" means: By the length of; in a line with the length of; lengthwise next to.
What words are commonly confused with "along"?
"along" is commonly confused with "Ang", "alot", "Avon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "along"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "along" is /əˈlɒŋ/. 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 "along"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂éntsder. Proto-Germanic *anda- Proto-West Germanic *anda- Old English and- Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos Proto-Germanic *langaz Proto-West Germanic *lang Old... 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 "along", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

wrong#409large#399known#398needs#422

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

south7 variantsclose7 variantscomes7 variantsdeath7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list