anti-

/ˈænˌti/

//ˈænˌti// prefix

"anti" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anti-” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a prefix. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Against, opposed to.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anti · anti- · English

anti- · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for anti-
PropertyValue
Headwordanti-
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPrefix
IPA/ˈænˌti/
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “anti-” in English

anti-sits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

anti- is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprefix, transcribed /ˈænˌti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

anti- doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-)der. English anti- From Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-, “against”). Cognate with Old English and- (“against, in return, back, un-”), German ent- (“off, away, un-”). Doublet of ante- and un-. The correct English form is anti-, spelled A-N-T-I--.

Definition

  1. 1
    Against, opposed to.
  2. 2
    Counteracting, neutralizing.
  3. 3
    The opposite of what is typically expected.
  4. 4
    Physically opposite, reverse in position or direction.
  5. 5
    A rival or counterpart to.
  6. 6
    Composed of antimatter.
  7. 7
    Reacting with immunoglobins found in the specified animal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. anti- + abortion → antiabortion
  2. anti- + racism → antiracism

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-)der. English anti- From Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-, “against”). Cognate with Old English and- (“against, in return, back, un-”), German ent- (“off, away, un-”). Doublet of ante- and un-.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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

How do you spell "anti-"?
"anti-" is spelled A-N-T-I--. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈænˌti/.
What does "anti-" mean?
As a prefix, "anti-" means: Against, opposed to.
How do you pronounce "anti-"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anti-" is /ˈænˌti/. 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 "anti-"?
Etymology tree Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-)der. English anti- From Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-, “against”). Cognate with Old English and- (“against, in return, back, un-”), German ent- (“off, away, un-”). Doublet of ante- and un-. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list