anent

/əˈnɛnt/

//əˈnɛnt// prep

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

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

The verdict

“anent” is uncommon English (frequency #72,943 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a preposition. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,943
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Concerning, with regard to, about, in respect to, as to, insofar as, inasmuch as, apropos.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anent · anent · English

anent · rank #72,943 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,943
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH anatomist

Nearest frequency peer: anatomist (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “anent”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “anent” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for anent
PropertyValue
Headwordanent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPreposition
IPA/əˈnɛnt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#72,943
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “anent” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “anatomist” (#72,941), “AMZN” (#72,940), “Amharic” (#72,939). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “anent” is #72,943. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

anent is uncommon English at frequency #72,943 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as apreposition, transcribed /əˈnɛnt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for anent in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English anent, anentes, anempt (“insofar as, inasmuch as, in comparison with, with respect to, as regards, concerning, in the opinion or judgment of; next to, close to, up to, near, adjoining, across from, over against, facing”), from Old Englis… The correct English form is anent, spelled A-N-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Concerning, with regard to, about, in respect to, as to, insofar as, inasmuch as, apropos.
  2. 2
    In the opinion or judgment of.
  3. 3
    Against, in front of, fronting; before; opposite; over against, on the other side.
  4. 4
    In a line with; side by side with; on a level with.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mr Bloom and Stephen entered the cabman’s shelter, an unpretentious wooden structure, where, prior to then, he had rarely, if ever, been before; the former having previously whispered to the latter a few hints anent the keeper of it […]
  2. 1937, L. Ron Hubbard, letter to Russell Hays, quoted in Literary Correspondence: Letters and Journals, p. 101, I have just found out something with which to repay that very kind favor of yours anent the "lift" angle on stories.

Etymology

From Middle English anent, anentes, anempt (“insofar as, inasmuch as, in comparison with, with respect to, as regards, concerning, in the opinion or judgment of; next to, close to, up to, near, adjoining, across from, over against, facing”), from Old English on efn (“by; near”), from on + efn. Compare Dutch neven, German neben.

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 "anent"?
"anent" is spelled A-N-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈnɛnt/.
What does "anent" mean?
As a preposition, "anent" means: Concerning, with regard to, about, in respect to, as to, insofar as, inasmuch as, apropos.
How do you pronounce "anent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anent" is /əˈnɛnt/. 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 "anent"?
From Middle English anent, anentes, anempt (“insofar as, inasmuch as, in comparison with, with respect to, as regards, concerning, in the opinion or judgment of; next to, close to, up to, near, adjoining, across from, over against, facing”), from ... 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 "anent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Zarif#72,909bethe#72,989Binns#72,996bluer#73,004

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list