attainder

Name: attainder, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“attainder” is an uncommon English word, ranked #78,375 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#78,375
frequency rank, English: 9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state a prisoner entered once a death sentence (usually for treason) had been issued; the state of being stripped of all civil rights.

Key facts for attainder
Property	Value
Headword	attainder
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#78,375
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “attainder” sits in English frequency

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

#78,375

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for attainder is 9 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #78,375 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

attainder has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman ataindre ("to reach"), with infinitives used as nouns being frequent in Law French. Doublet of attain and attinge. The correct English form is attainder, spelled A-T-T-A-I-N-D-E-R.

Definition

1
The state a prisoner entered once a death sentence (usually for treason) had been issued; the state of being stripped of all civil rights.
2
A stain; a state of dishonour or condemnation.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman ataindre ("to reach"), with infinitives used as nouns being frequent in Law French. Doublet of attain and attinge.

This word in other languages

deshonra(Español)

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 "attainder"?

"attainder" is spelled A-T-T-A-I-N-D-E-R.

What does "attainder" mean?

As a noun, "attainder" means: The state a prisoner entered once a death sentence (usually for treason) had been issued; the state of being stripped of all civil rights.

What is the origin of the word "attainder"?

From Anglo-Norman ataindre ("to reach"), with infinitives used as nouns being frequent in Law French. Doublet of attain and attinge. 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 “attainder”

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

The one correct English spelling is A-T-T-A-I-N-D-E-R - 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.