at stake

prep_phrase

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

The verdict

“at stake” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a prep_phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - At issue, at risk.

Key facts for at stake
PropertyValue
Headwordat stake
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPrep_phrase
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “at stake” sits in English frequency

at stake falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for at stake is 8 letters long, classified as a prep_phrase. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "At issue, at risk.".

at stake has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: See stake. The correct English form is at stake, spelled A-T- -S-T-A-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    At issue, at risk.

Etymology

See stake.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "at stake"?
"at stake" is spelled A-T- -S-T-A-K-E.
What does "at stake" mean?
As a prep_phrase, "at stake" means: At issue, at risk.
What is the origin of the word "at stake"?
See stake. 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.

Using “at stake”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-T- -S-T-A-K-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list