at once
/ət ˈwʌns/
"at-once" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“at once” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In one group; together.
Corpus desk
Index EN-at-once · at once · English
at once · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "A" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | at once |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ət ˈwʌns/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “at once” in English
Rare enough to double-check
at once is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ət ˈwʌns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
at once has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English at ones, equivalent to at + once. The correct English form is at once, spelled A-T- -O-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1In one group; together.
- 2At the same time; simultaneously; together.
- 3Immediately; now; right away.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how at once appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
And they all atonce begane to make excuſe. The fyrſt ſayd vnto him: I have bought a ferme / and I muſt nedes goo and ſe it / I praye the have me excuſed.
Now if it ſo be that it woulde happely be thought not a thyng metely to be aduentured to ſet all on a fluſhe at ones, and daſhe raſhelye out holye ſcrypture in euerye lewde felowes teeth: […]
Etymology
From Middle English at ones, equivalent to at + once.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.