at

/æt/

//æt// prep

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

"at" is a 2-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“at” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #21) as a preposition. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#21
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In, near, or in the general vicinity of (a particular place).

Corpus desk

Index EN-at · at · English

at · rank #21 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #21
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH have

Nearest frequency peer: have (-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 “at”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “at” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

at vs aw
50% similar
at vs AU
0% similar
at vs AZ
0% similar

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

Key facts for at
PropertyValue
Headwordat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPreposition
IPA/æt/
Letters2
Frequency rank#21
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “at” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for at is neighbouring look-alikes ("aw", "AU", …), not just typos; it is apreposition pronounced /æt/. Frequency #21 among 3,931 “A” headwords. 21 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for at, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "aw", "AU", "AZ", 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 *h₂éd Proto-Germanic *at Old English æt Middle English at English at From Middle English at, from Old English æt (“at, near, by, toward”), from Proto-West Germanic *at, from Proto-Germanic *at (“at, near, to”), from Proto-… The correct English form is at, spelled A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    In, near, or in the general vicinity of (a particular place).
  2. 2
    In, near, or in the general vicinity of (a particular place).
  3. 3
    In, near, or in the general vicinity of (a particular place).
  4. 4
    In, near, or in the general vicinity of (a particular place).
  5. 5
    Present or taking place during (an event).
  6. 6
    Indicating time of occurrence, especially an instant of time, or a period of time relatively short in context or from the speaker’s perspective.
  7. 7
    Indicating time of occurrence, especially an instant of time, or a period of time relatively short in context or from the speaker’s perspective.
  8. 8
    In the direction of; towards; (often implied to be in a hostile or careless manner).
  9. 9
    Indicating action bearing upon something, especially continued or repeated action.
  10. 10
    In response or reaction to.
  11. 11
    Occupied in (activity).
  12. 12
    In a state of.
  13. 13
    Subject to.
  14. 14
    Denotes a price.
  15. 15
    Indicates a position on a scale or in a series.
  16. 16
    In certain phrases, used to indicate the manner in which something happens or is done.
  17. 17
    Indicates a specific speed or rate that is maintained by something.
  18. 18
    Indicates a means or method.
  19. 19
    On the subject of; regarding.
  20. 20
    Bothering, irritating, causing discomfort to
  21. 21
    Also used in various other idiomatic combinations: at a pinch, at all, at fault, at pains, at risk, at that, etc.; see the individual entries.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Caesar was at Rome.
  2. A climate treaty was signed at Kyoto in 1997.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Germanic *at Old English æt Middle English at English at From Middle English at, from Old English æt (“at, near, by, toward”), from Proto-West Germanic *at, from Proto-Germanic *at (“at, near, to”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“near, at”). Cognate with Scots at (“at”), North Frisian äät, äit, et, it (“at”), Danish at (“to”), Swedish åt (“for, toward”), Norwegian åt (“to”), Faroese at (“at, to, toward”), Icelandic að (“to, towards”), Gothic 𐌰𐍄 (at, “at”), Latin ad (“to, near”).

This word in other languages

en(Español)à(Français)an(Deutsch)em(Português)

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

How do you spell "at"?
"at" is spelled A-T. The IPA pronunciation is /æt/.
What does "at" mean?
As a preposition, "at" means: In, near, or in the general vicinity of (a particular place).
What words are commonly confused with "at"?
"at" is commonly confused with "aw", "AU", "AZ". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "at"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "at" is /æt/. 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 "at"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Germanic *at Old English æt Middle English at English at From Middle English at, from Old English æt (“at, near, by, toward”), from Proto-West Germanic *at, from Proto-Germanic *at (“at, near, to”), f... 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.

What to do next

You've looked up "at". Here's where to go from here.

  • "at" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "aw". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #21 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list