as
/əz/
"as" is a 2-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“as” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #18) as an adverb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.
- #18
- frequency rank, English
- 3,931
- “A” headwords
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To such an extent or degree; to the same extent or degree.
Corpus desk
Index EN-as · as · English
as · rank #18 · 0 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-CORE #18
- LEN-SHORT 2 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,931
- PHOTO-FINISH be
Nearest frequency peer: be (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “as”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- this
this
99,986 corpus weight
- was
was
99,985 corpus weight
- be
be
99,984 corpus weight
- as
as
99,983 corpus weight
- are
are
99,982 corpus weight
- have
have
99,981 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “as” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | as |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /əz/ |
| Letters | 2 |
| Frequency rank | #18 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “as” sits in English frequency
Easy to mix with look-alikes
The spelling risk for as is neighbouring look-alikes ("at", "aw", …), not just typos; it is anadverb pronounced /əz/. Frequency #18 among 3,931 “A” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.
No misspelling variants are generated for as in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "at", "aw", "AU", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Indo-European *h₂elnós Proto-Germanic *allaz Proto-West Germanic *all Proto-Indo-European *swéder.? Proto-Germanic *swa Proto-West Germanic *swā Proto-West Germanic *allswā Old English eallswā Middle Engl… The correct English form is as, spelled A-S.
Definition
- 1To such an extent or degree; to the same extent or degree.
- 2Considered to be, in relation to something else; in the relation (specified).
- 3For example; for instance. (Compare such as.)
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how as appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
She regards her kids as (being) as holy as saints.
You’re not as tall as I am, but you are definitely as happy as can be.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Indo-European *h₂elnós Proto-Germanic *allaz Proto-West Germanic *all Proto-Indo-European *swéder.? Proto-Germanic *swa Proto-West Germanic *swā Proto-West Germanic *allswā Old English eallswā Middle English also Middle English as English as From Middle English as, als(a), alswa, from Old English eallswā (“just so; as”), thus representing a reduced form of also. Compare German Low German a(l)s, German als, Dutch als.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do next
You've looked up "as". Here's where to go from here.
- "as" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "at". View pair
- Usage frequency rank #18 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.