assault

/əˈsɒlt/

//əˈsɒlt// noun

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

"assault" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“assault” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,349. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,349
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
8
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A violent onset or attack with physical means, for example blows, weapons, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-assault · assault · English

assault · rank #3,349 · 8 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,349
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH asks

Nearest frequency peer: asks (-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 “assault”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “assault” 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 assault
PropertyValue
Headwordassault
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈsɒlt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,349
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “assault”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “asks” (#3,348), “awareness” (#3,350), “arrival” (#3,347). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “assault” is #3,349. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around assault (IPA /əˈsɒlt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,349 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for assault, with forms such as "asasult", "asault", and "assalut". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English assaut, from Old French noun assaut, derived from the past participle of the verb assalir, from Late Latin assalīre, from Latin ad (“at, towards”) + salīre (“jump”). See also assail. Spelling Latinized around 1530 to add an l. The correct English form is assault, spelled A-S-S-A-U-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A violent onset or attack with physical means, for example blows, weapons, etc.
  2. 2
    A violent verbal attack, for example with insults, criticism, and the like
  3. 3
    An attempt to commit battery: a violent attempt, or willful effort with force or violence, to do hurt to another, but without necessarily touching the person, such as by raising a fist in a threatening manner, or by striking at the person and missing.
  4. 4
    The crime whose action is such an attempt.
  5. 5
    An act that causes someone to apprehend imminent bodily harm (such as brandishing a weapon).
  6. 6
    The tort whose action is such an act.
  7. 7
    A non-competitive combat between two fencers.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The army made an assault on the enemy.
  2. The Spanish general prepared to renew the assault.

Etymology

From Middle English assaut, from Old French noun assaut, derived from the past participle of the verb assalir, from Late Latin assalīre, from Latin ad (“at, towards”) + salīre (“jump”). See also assail. Spelling Latinized around 1530 to add an l.

Synonyms

onfallonrushaggressionassailmentassaultattackattemptoffenseoffensiveonsetonslaughtstrike

Antonyms

defensedefence

This word in other languages

asalto(Español)assaut(Français)Anschlag(Deutsch)agressão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asasult
  • asault
  • assalut
  • assaullt
  • assaultt
  • assautl
  • assualt
  • sasault

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

asasult2asault1assalut2assaullt1assaultt1assautl2assualt2sasault2
Edit distance from "assault"

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 "assault"?
"assault" is spelled A-S-S-A-U-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈsɒlt/.
What does "assault" mean?
As a noun, "assault" means: A violent onset or attack with physical means, for example blows, weapons, etc.
What are common misspellings of "assault"?
Common misspellings include "asasult", "asault", "assalut", "assaullt", "assaultt". The correct spelling is "assault".
How do you pronounce "assault"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "assault" is /əˈsɒlt/. 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 "assault"?
From Middle English assaut, from Old French noun assaut, derived from the past participle of the verb assalir, from Late Latin assalīre, from Latin ad (“at, towards”) + salīre (“jump”). See also assail. Spelling Latinized around 1530 to add an l. 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 "assault", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

arrival#3,347unusual#3,343fiction#3,363protest#3,327

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

waters8 variantshearts8 variantspalace8 variantsminds8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list