also-ran
"also-ran" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“also-ran” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person or animal who competed in a race, or other competition, but did not win.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | also-ran |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “also-ran” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for also-ran is 8 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for also-ran, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the world of horse race betting, where lists of winners would be published with non-paying positions printed in a block under the heading “Also Ran”. The correct English form is also-ran, spelled A-L-S-O---R-A-N.
Definition
- 1A person or animal who competed in a race, or other competition, but did not win.
- 2A loser; a person or thing soon to be forgotten.
Etymology
From the world of horse race betting, where lists of winners would be published with non-paying positions printed in a block under the heading “Also Ran”.
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
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Using “also-ran”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-L-S-O---R-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.