at that time

prep_phrase

"at-that-time" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“at that time” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a prep_phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - At the time referred to (by the present discussion), which is in the past for many discussions but is in the future for others.

Corpus desk

Index EN-at-that-time · at that time · English

at that time · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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.

Key facts for at that time
PropertyValue
Headwordat that time
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPrep_phrase
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “at that time” in English

at that timesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

at that time is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprep_phrase. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "At the time referred to (by the present discussion), which is in the past for many discussions but is in the future for others.".

Zero misspellings are on record for at that time in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is at that time, spelled A-T- -T-H-A-T- -T-I-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    At the time referred to (by the present discussion), which is in the past for many discussions but is in the future for others.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonym: at the time (often synonymous depending on the timeline of recounting)
  2. You have to keep in mind that there were no computers at that time.

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 that time"?
"at that time" is spelled A-T- -T-H-A-T- -T-I-M-E.
What does "at that time" mean?
As a prep_phrase, "at that time" means: At the time referred to (by the present discussion), which is in the past for many discussions but is in the future for others.
What language does "at that time" come from?
"at that time" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list