apace
/əˈpeɪs/
"apace" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“apace” is uncommon English (frequency #55,240 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #55,240
- frequency rank, English
- 3,931
- “A” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Quickly, rapidly, with speed.
Corpus desk
Index EN-apace · apace · English
apace · rank #55,240 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #55,240
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,931
- PHOTO-FINISH Antiochus
Nearest frequency peer: Antiochus (-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.
Long-tail ranks near “apace”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- Andalusian
Andalusian
44,764 corpus weight
- Anniston
Anniston
44,763 corpus weight
- Antiochus
Antiochus
44,762 corpus weight
- apace
apace
44,761 corpus weight
- Appalachians
Appalachians
44,760 corpus weight
- apportioned
apportioned
44,759 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “apace” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | apace |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /əˈpeɪs/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #55,240 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “apace” in English
Rare enough to double-check
apace is uncommon English at frequency #55,240 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /əˈpeɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Quickly, rapidly, with speed.".
No misspelling variants are generated for apace in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English apās (“step by step, slowly; quickly, rapidly; at once, promptly”), from Old French à pas (“at a quick pace”). The correct English form is apace, spelled A-P-A-C-E.
Definition
- 1Quickly, rapidly, with speed.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how apace appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Construction of the new offices is proceeding apace.
Gallop apace, you fiery footed ſteedes, / Towards Phœbus lodging, ſuch a Wagoner / As Phaeton would whip you to the weſt, / And bring in Cloudie night immediately.
Etymology
From Middle English apās (“step by step, slowly; quickly, rapidly; at once, promptly”), from Old French à pas (“at a quick pace”).
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); 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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "apace", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).