at worst
"at-worst" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“at worst” 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
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - If the worst possible alternative happens (especially in an otherwise positive situation).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | at worst |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Prep_phrase |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “at worst” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
at worst is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprep_phrase. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "If the worst possible alternative happens (especially in an otherwise positive situation).".
Zero misspellings are on record for at worst in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is at worst, spelled A-T- -W-O-R-S-T.
Definition
- 1If the worst possible alternative happens (especially in an otherwise positive situation).
Antonyms
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
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Using “at worst”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-T- -W-O-R-S-T - 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.