atari

/əˈtɑːˌɹi/

//əˈtɑːˌɹi// noun

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

"atari" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“atari” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,546. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,546
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A move that threatens the immediate capture of one or more stones.

Corpus desk

Index EN-atari · atari · English

atari · rank #29,546 · 6 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,546
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Arundel

Nearest frequency peer: Arundel (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “atari”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “atari” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

atari vs ATR
0% similar
atari vs award
60% similar
atari vs aware
60% similar

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

Key facts for atari
PropertyValue
Headwordatari
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈtɑːˌɹi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#29,546
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “atari”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Arundel” (#29,545), “athleticism” (#29,547), “axles” (#29,548). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “atari” is #29,546. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around atari (IPA /əˈtɑːˌɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,546 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A move that threatens the immediate capture of one or more stones.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for atari, with forms such as "aatri", "atair", and "atarri". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 19 confusable-pair relationships, "ATR", "award", "aware", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Japanese 当たり. The correct English form is atari, spelled A-T-A-R-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    A move that threatens the immediate capture of one or more stones.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In situations like this, beginners often make the mistake of giving an atari, which strengthens only the opponent.
  2. ... White responds with an atari of her own ...

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 当たり.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aatri
  • atair
  • atarri
  • atrai
  • attari
  • taari

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of atari - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

aatri2atair2atarri1atrai2attari1taari2
Edit distance from "atari"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "atari"?
"atari" is spelled A-T-A-R-I. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈtɑːˌɹi/.
What does "atari" mean?
As a noun, "atari" means: A move that threatens the immediate capture of one or more stones.
What words are commonly confused with "atari"?
"atari" is commonly confused with "ATR", "award", "aware". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "atari"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "atari" is /əˈtɑːˌɹi/. 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 "atari"?
Borrowed from Japanese 当たり. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "atari", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

axles#29,548Bezos#29,559booby#29,563Brice#29,567

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Brom6 variantswhig6 variantsvert6 variantsUtica6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list