back

/bæk/

//bæk// adj

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

"back" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“back” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #93. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#93
frequency rank, English
31,241
“B” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - At or near the rear.

Corpus desk

Index EN-back · back · English

back · rank #93 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #93
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 31,241
  • PHOTO-FINISH could

Nearest frequency peer: could (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “back”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “back” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

back vs BC
0% similar
back vs bad
50% similar
back vs bar
50% similar

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

Key facts for back
PropertyValue
Headwordback
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/bæk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#93
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “back” 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). back lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around back (IPA /bæk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #93 among 31,241 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for back, with forms such as "abck", "bacck", and "backk". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "BC", "bad", "bar", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg-der.? Proto-Germanic *baką Proto-West Germanic *bak Old English bæc Middle English bak English back From Middle English bak, from Old English bæc, from Proto-West Germanic *bak, from Proto-Germanic *baką, possibly fr… The correct English form is back, spelled B-A-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    At or near the rear.
  2. 2
    Returned or restored to a previous place or condition.
  3. 3
    Not current.
  4. 4
    Situated away from the main or most frequented areas.
  5. 5
    In arrears; overdue.
  6. 6
    Moving or operating backward.
  7. 7
    Pronounced with the highest part of the body of the tongue toward the back of the mouth, near the soft palate (most often describing a vowel).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Go in the back door of the house.
  2. Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer doing billets.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg-der.? Proto-Germanic *baką Proto-West Germanic *bak Old English bæc Middle English bak English back From Middle English bak, from Old English bæc, from Proto-West Germanic *bak, from Proto-Germanic *baką, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg- (“to bend”). The adverb represents an aphetic form of aback. Compare Middle Low German bak (“back”), from Old Saxon bak, and West Frisian bekling (“chair back”), Old High German bah, Swedish and Norwegian bak. Cognate with German Bache (“sow [adult female hog]”).

Synonyms

rearformerprevious

Antonyms

frontcurrentmain

This word in other languages

trasero(Español)postérieur(Français)hinterer(Deutsch)traseiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abck
  • bacck
  • backk
  • bakc
  • bback
  • bcak

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of back - 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.

abck2bacck1backk1bakc2bback1bcak2
Edit distance from "back"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "back"?
"back" is spelled B-A-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /bæk/.
What does "back" mean?
As an adjective, "back" means: At or near the rear.
What words are commonly confused with "back"?
"back" is commonly confused with "BC", "bad", "bar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "back"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "back" is /bæk/. 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 "back"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg-der.? Proto-Germanic *baką Proto-West Germanic *bak Old English bæc Middle English bak English back From Middle English bak, from Old English bæc, from Proto-West Germanic *bak, from Proto-Germanic *baką, p... 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 "back", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

then#91want#96over#88make#87

Similar misspelling depth

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

know6 variantsmost6 variantsmuch6 variantsvery6 variants
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