anterior

/anˈtɪə.ɹi.ə/

//anˈtɪə.ɹi.ə// adj

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

"anterior" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anterior” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,691. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,691
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Nearer the forward end, especially in the front of the body; nearer the head or forepart of an animal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anterior · anterior · English

anterior · rank #14,691 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,691
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH angular

Nearest frequency peer: angular (-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 “anterior”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “anterior” 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
Key facts for anterior
PropertyValue
Headwordanterior
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/anˈtɪə.ɹi.ə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#14,691
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “anterior”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “angular” (#14,690), “appendix” (#14,692), “aloud” (#14,689). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “anterior” is #14,691. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around anterior (IPA /anˈtɪə.ɹi.ə/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #14,691 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for anterior, with forms such as "anetrior", "annterior", and "anteiror". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin anterior (“that is before, foremost”). The correct English form is anterior, spelled A-N-T-E-R-I-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nearer the forward end, especially in the front of the body; nearer the head or forepart of an animal.
  2. 2
    Nearer the forward end, especially in the front of the body; nearer the head or forepart of an animal.
  3. 3
    Nearer the forward end, especially in the front of the body; nearer the head or forepart of an animal.
  4. 4
    Coming before or earlier in time or development, prior to, preceding.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Transillumination of anterior teeth, using the composite curing light placed labially to shine through the tooth and be viewed using the mouth mirror, shows up any cavities as dark interproximal shadows.
  2. Her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) are torn and Vonn has a lateral fracture of the tibial plateau, the upper end of the tibia or shin bone.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin anterior (“that is before, foremost”).

Antonyms

posterior

This word in other languages

anterior(Español)antérieur(Français)frontal(Deutsch)anterior(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anetrior
  • annterior
  • anteiror
  • anteriorr
  • anteriro
  • anteroir
  • anterrior
  • antreior
  • antterior
  • atnerior
  • naterior

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

anetrior2annterior1anteiror2anteriorr1anteriro2anteroir2anterrior1antreior2
Edit distance from "anterior"

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 "anterior"?
"anterior" is spelled A-N-T-E-R-I-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /anˈtɪə.ɹi.ə/.
What does "anterior" mean?
As an adjective, "anterior" means: Nearer the forward end, especially in the front of the body; nearer the head or forepart of an animal.
What are common misspellings of "anterior"?
Common misspellings include "anetrior", "annterior", "anteiror", "anteriorr", "anteriro". The correct spelling is "anterior".
How do you pronounce "anterior"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anterior" is /anˈtɪə.ɹi.ə/. 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 "anterior"?
Borrowed from Latin anterior (“that is before, foremost”). 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 "anterior", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

appendix#14,692behaving#14,701brethren#14,708wrestler#14,674

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Beckham11 variantsZimmerman11 variantsWaterloo11 variantsWarwick11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list