backstab
/ˈbækˌstæb/
"backstab" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“backstab” is uncommon English (frequency #91,261 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #91,261
- frequency rank, English
- 4,121
- “B” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To attack someone (especially verbally) unfairly in a deceitful, underhand, or treacherous manner, especially when they're not present in the place or situation that it happens.
Corpus desk
Index EN-backstab · backstab · English
backstab · rank #91,261 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #91,261
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,121
- PHOTO-FINISH azithromycin
Nearest frequency peer: azithromycin (-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 “backstab”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- Avesta
Avesta
8,745 corpus weight
- Ayumi
Ayumi
8,742 corpus weight
- azithromycin
azithromycin
8,741 corpus weight
- backstab
backstab
8,740 corpus weight
- Barcroft
Barcroft
8,734 corpus weight
- basa
basa
8,731 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “backstab” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | backstab |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈbækˌstæb/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #91,261 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “backstab” in English
Rare enough to double-check
backstab is uncommon English at frequency #91,261 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈbækˌstæb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To attack someone (especially verbally) unfairly in a deceitful, underhand, or treacherous manner, especially when they're not present in the place or situation that it happens.".
backstab doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From back + stab. The correct English form is backstab, spelled B-A-C-K-S-T-A-B.
Definition
- 1To attack someone (especially verbally) unfairly in a deceitful, underhand, or treacherous manner, especially when they're not present in the place or situation that it happens.
Etymology
From back + stab.
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.
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "backstab", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).