backslash
/ˈbækˌslæʃ/
"backslash" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“backslash” is an uncommon English word, ranked #86,039 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #86,039
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The punctuation mark \.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | backslash |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbækˌslæʃ/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #86,039 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “backslash” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for backslash is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbækˌslæʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #86,039 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.
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
- 1The punctuation mark \.
- 2Used erroneously in reference to, or in reading out, the ordinary slash, that is, the punctuation mark /.
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
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
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Using “backslash”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-A-C-K-S-L-A-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈbækˌslæʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.