assist

/əˈsɪst/

//əˈsɪst// verb

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

"assist" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“assist” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,468. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,468
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-assist · assist · English

assist · rank #3,468 · 7 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,468
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH architecture

Nearest frequency peer: architecture (-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 “assist”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “assist” 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).

assist vs assists
86% similar
assist vs assisted
75% similar
assist vs asset
67% similar

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

Key facts for assist
PropertyValue
Headwordassist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈsɪst/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,468
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “assist”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).assistlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “architecture” (#3,467), “attempted” (#3,469), “anger” (#3,466). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “assist” is #3,468. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around assist (IPA /əˈsɪst/), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,468 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for assist, with forms such as "asisst", "asist", and "assisst". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "assists", "assisted", "asset", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti Proto-Italic *sistō Latin sistō Latin assistō Old French assisterbor. Middle English assisten English assist Fr… The correct English form is assist, spelled A-S-S-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To help.
  2. 2
    To make a pass that leads directly towards scoring.
  3. 3
    To help compensate for what is missing with the help of a medical technique or therapy.
  4. 4
    To stand (at a place) or to (an opinion).
  5. 5
    To be present (at an event, occasion etc.).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This book will assist you in getting your life in order.
  2. Tutor feedback assists the learning process.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti Proto-Italic *sistō Latin sistō Latin assistō Old French assisterbor. Middle English assisten English assist From Middle English assisten, from Old French assister (“to assist, to attend”), from Latin assistō (“stand at, bestand”, verb).

Synonyms

assistchip inhelphelp outmuck inpitch in

Antonyms

hinderhurt

This word in other languages

ayudar(Español)assister(Français)assistieren(Deutsch)assistir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asisst
  • asist
  • assisst
  • assistt
  • assits
  • asssit
  • sasist

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of assist - 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.

asisst2asist1assisst1assistt1assits2asssit2sasist2
Edit distance from "assist"

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 "assist"?
"assist" is spelled A-S-S-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈsɪst/.
What does "assist" mean?
As a verb, "assist" means: To help.
What words are commonly confused with "assist"?
"assist" is commonly confused with "assists", "assisted", "asset". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "assist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "assist" is /əˈsɪst/. 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 "assist"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti Proto-Italic *sistō Latin sistō Latin assistō Old French assisterbor. Middle English assisten English... 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 "assist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

behalf#3,470worker#3,461Dallas#3,478stages#3,455

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

anger7 variantscomic7 variantsplain7 variantsopens7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list