assay

/ˈæseɪ/

//ˈæseɪ// noun

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

"assay" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“assay” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,038. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,038
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-assay · assay · English

assay · rank #20,038 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,038
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH arenas

Nearest frequency peer: arenas (-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 “assay”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “assay” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

assay vs away
60% similar
assay vs Asta
40% similar
assay vs asset
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for assay
PropertyValue
Headwordassay
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæseɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#20,038
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “assay”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “arenas” (#20,037), “ardent” (#20,036), “assorted” (#20,040). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “assay” is #20,038. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around assay (IPA /ˈæseɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,038 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for assay, with forms such as "asasy", "asay", and "assayy". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "away", "Asta", "asset", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English assay (noun) and assayen (verb), from Anglo-Norman assai (noun) and Anglo-Norman assaier (verb), from Old French essai. Doublet of essay. The correct English form is assay, spelled A-S-S-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Trial, attempt.
  2. 2
    Examination and determination; test.
  3. 3
    The qualitative or quantitative chemical analysis of something.
  4. 4
    Trial by danger or by affliction; adventure; risk; hardship; state of being tried.
  5. 5
    Tested purity or value.
  6. 6
    The act or process of ascertaining the proportion of a particular metal in an ore or alloy; especially, the determination of the proportion of gold or silver in bullion or coin.
  7. 7
    The alloy or metal to be assayed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I am withal persuaded that it may prove much more easy in the assay than it now seems at distance.
  2. This cannot be, by no assay of reason.

Etymology

From Middle English assay (noun) and assayen (verb), from Anglo-Norman assai (noun) and Anglo-Norman assaier (verb), from Old French essai. Doublet of essay.

This word in other languages

ensayo(Español)essai(Français)Versuch(Deutsch)ensaio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asasy
  • asay
  • assayy
  • assya
  • sasay

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of assay - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

asasy2asay1assayy1assya2sasay2
Edit distance from "assay"

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 "assay"?
"assay" is spelled A-S-S-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæseɪ/.
What does "assay" mean?
As a noun, "assay" means: Trial, attempt.
What words are commonly confused with "assay"?
"assay" is commonly confused with "away", "Asta", "asset". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "assay"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "assay" is /ˈæseɪ/. 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 "assay"?
From Middle English assay (noun) and assayen (verb), from Anglo-Norman assai (noun) and Anglo-Norman assaier (verb), from Old French essai. Doublet of essay. 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 "assay", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bihar#20,045aches#20,025Clair#20,062wacky#20,013

Similar misspelling depth

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

twat5 variantstofu5 variantstito5 variantsFIDE5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list