antagonism

/ænˈtæɡənɪzəm/

//ænˈtæɡənɪzəm// noun

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

"antagonism" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“antagonism” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,185. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,185
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A strong natural dislike or hatred; antipathy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-antagonism · antagonism · English

antagonism · rank #35,185 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,185
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH angler

Nearest frequency peer: angler (-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 “antagonism”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “antagonism” 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).

antagonism vs antagonist
90% similar
antagonism vs antagonize
80% similar

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

Key facts for antagonism
PropertyValue
Headwordantagonism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ænˈtæɡənɪzəm/
Letters10
Frequency rank#35,185
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “antagonism”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “angler” (#35,184), “antebellum” (#35,186), “amygdala” (#35,183). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “antagonism” is #35,185. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around antagonism (IPA /ænˈtæɡənɪzəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #35,185 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A strong natural dislike or hatred; antipathy.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for antagonism, with forms such as "anatgonism", "anntagonism", and "antaggonism". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "antagonist", "antagonize", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek ἀνταγωνιστής (antagōnistḗs, “opponent”), from ἀνταγωνίζομαι (antagōnízomai, “antagonize”), from ἀγών (agṓn, “contest”) (English agon). The correct English form is antagonism, spelled A-N-T-A-G-O-N-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A strong natural dislike or hatred; antipathy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Their longstanding antagonism is manifested in frequent scuffles and shouting matches.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀνταγωνιστής (antagōnistḗs, “opponent”), from ἀνταγωνίζομαι (antagōnízomai, “antagonize”), from ἀγών (agṓn, “contest”) (English agon).

This word in other languages

antagonismo(Español)antagonisme(Français)Antagonismus(Deutsch)antagonismo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anatgonism
  • anntagonism
  • antaggonism
  • antagnoism
  • antagoinsm
  • antagonims
  • antagonismm
  • antagonissm
  • antagonnism
  • antagonsim
  • antaognism
  • antgaonism
  • anttagonism
  • atnagonism
  • natagonism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of antagonism - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

anatgonism2anntagonism1antaggonism1antagnoism2antagoinsm2antagonims2antagonismm1antagonissm1
Edit distance from "antagonism"

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 "antagonism"?
"antagonism" is spelled A-N-T-A-G-O-N-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ænˈtæɡənɪzəm/.
What does "antagonism" mean?
As a noun, "antagonism" means: A strong natural dislike or hatred; antipathy.
What words are commonly confused with "antagonism"?
"antagonism" is commonly confused with "antagonist", "antagonize". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "antagonism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "antagonism" is /ænˈtæɡənɪzəm/. 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 "antagonism"?
From Ancient Greek ἀνταγωνιστής (antagōnistḗs, “opponent”), from ἀνταγωνίζομαι (antagōnízomai, “antagonize”), from ἀγών (agṓn, “contest”) (English agon). 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 "antagonism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

antebellum#35,186ballistics#35,193abstracted#35,172Wollongong#35,160

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

unpunished15 variantsunleashing15 variantstouchstone15 variantsstunningly15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list