backslash

/ˈbækˌslæʃ/

//ˈbækˌslæʃ// noun

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

"backslash" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“backslash” is uncommon English (frequency #86,039 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#86,039
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The punctuation mark \.

Corpus desk

Index EN-backslash · backslash · English

backslash · rank #86,039 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #86,039
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Azeem

Nearest frequency peer: Azeem (-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 “backslash”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for backslash
PropertyValue
Headwordbackslash
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbækˌslæʃ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#86,039
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “backslash” in English

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

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “Azeem” (#86,038), “Bampton” (#86,042), “attainments” (#86,034). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “backslash” is #86,039. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

backslash is uncommon English at frequency #86,039 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbækˌslæʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for backslash in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From back + slash, because it is a slash “leaning back” against the direction of writing (in writing lines from left to right), in contrast to the more common (forward) slash / (“solidus, oblique, diagonal”). The actual direction of (hand-)writing these mar… The correct English form is backslash, spelled B-A-C-K-S-L-A-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    The punctuation mark \.
  2. 2
    Used erroneously in reference to, or in reading out, the ordinary slash, that is, the punctuation mark /.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] I was trying to find a web-site for which I had been given the following address: http://www.isop.ucla.edu/pacrim/pubs/korjournal.htm. […] I began to work backwards, removing first the last part of the address following the last backslash (/korjournal.htm).
  2. “So, do what I tell you. Open a browser window and type this in the menu^([sic]) bar: F-T-P colon backslash backslash euronews dot net backslash...” I pecked carefully at the keyboard as he dictated a URL that was about fifty characters long, […]

Etymology

From back + slash, because it is a slash “leaning back” against the direction of writing (in writing lines from left to right), in contrast to the more common (forward) slash / (“solidus, oblique, diagonal”). The actual direction of (hand-)writing these marks can be reversed, when writing from left to right, top to baseline: the backslash forwards, the (forward) slash backwards. The naming can be explained as an anthropomorphism, assuming a bar (|) standing on the baseline, facing in the direction of writing, toppling backwards or forwards, respectively. The (new) Unicode name of \ is REVERSE SOLIDUS.

This word in other languages

contrabarra(Español)barre oblique inversée(Français)Backslash(Deutsch)

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 "backslash"?
"backslash" is spelled B-A-C-K-S-L-A-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbækˌslæʃ/.
What does "backslash" mean?
As a noun, "backslash" means: The punctuation mark \.
How do you pronounce "backslash"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "backslash" is /ˈbækˌslæʃ/. 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 "backslash"?
From back + slash, because it is a slash “leaning back” against the direction of writing (in writing lines from left to right), in contrast to the more common (forward) slash / (“solidus, oblique, diagonal”). The actual direction of (hand-)writing... 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 "backslash", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Ashmolean#86,029Apollonia#86,020biopharma#86,071bismillah#86,073

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list