back down
"back-down" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“back down” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously had, or has planned to have.
Corpus desk
Index EN-back-down · back down · English
back down · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "B" 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | back down |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “back down” in English
Rare enough to double-check
back down is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
back down has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is back down, spelled B-A-C-K- -D-O-W-N.
Definition
- 1To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously had, or has planned to have.
- 2To make (someone) take a less aggressive position.
- 3To withdraw from a commitment or position; back out.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how back down appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I was about to sue them, but I had to back down.
The boys had planned to fight during recess, but backed down after the principal found out.
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.