backhanded

/ˈbækˌhændəd/

//ˈbækˌhændəd// adj

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

"backhanded" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“backhanded” is uncommon English (frequency #59,872 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,872
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - With the back of the hand.

Corpus desk

Index EN-backhanded · backhanded · English

backhanded · rank #59,872 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #59,872
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Augustinian

Nearest frequency peer: Augustinian (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “backhanded”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “backhanded” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for backhanded
PropertyValue
Headwordbackhanded
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈbækˌhændəd/
Letters10
Frequency rank#59,872
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “backhanded” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).backhandedfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Augustinian” (#59,871), “backhoe” (#59,873), “Atul” (#59,870). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “backhanded” is #59,872. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

backhanded is uncommon English at frequency #59,872 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈbækˌhændəd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 8 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for backhanded in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From back + hand + -ed. The correct English form is backhanded, spelled B-A-C-K-H-A-N-D-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    With the back of the hand.
  2. 2
    Involving a backward flip of the hand.
  3. 3
    Insincere, sarcastic, ironic, or self-contradictory.
  4. 4
    Indirect.
  5. 5
    Backwards, turned around.
  6. 6
    inclining to the left
  7. 7
    Retrospective, occurring after the fact rather than in advance.
  8. 8
    Self-serving, corrupt, slipshod, or neglectful.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The trader roars like an animal whose paw has been caught in a trap, but he hauls back his other arm and lands a backhanded blow to the side of her head that knocks her sideways onto the babushki bench.
  2. Some casters can do a cross-body or backhanded cast quite effectively.

Etymology

From back + hand + -ed.

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 "backhanded"?
"backhanded" is spelled B-A-C-K-H-A-N-D-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbækˌhændəd/.
What does "backhanded" mean?
As an adjective, "backhanded" means: With the back of the hand.
How do you pronounce "backhanded"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "backhanded" is /ˈbækˌhændəd/. 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 "backhanded"?
From back + hand + -ed. 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 "backhanded", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

beautician#59,886Valenzuela#59,793uncritical#59,782colorblind#59,970

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list