behindhand
"behindhand" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“behindhand” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Late, tardy, overdue, behind (in accomplishing a task, etc.).
Corpus desk
Index EN-behindhand · behindhand · English
behindhand · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-3 3 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 | behindhand |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “behindhand” in English
Rare enough to double-check
behindhand is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for behindhand, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From behind + hand. The correct English form is behindhand, spelled B-E-H-I-N-D-H-A-N-D.
Definition
- 1Late, tardy, overdue, behind (in accomplishing a task, etc.).
- 2Not at the expected point of completion.
- 3Behind (someone or something moving, a trend, etc.), lagging behind, not keeping up.
- 4Behind in paying a debt; in arrears.
- 5Not having enough of, lacking (in something).
- 6Inferior, less advanced (compared with someone in something).
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how behindhand appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
These days before the examinations began were very difficult for everybody, and Perrin began that hideous “getting behind-hand” that made things accumulate so that there seemed no chance of ever catching up.
It was now the season for planting and sowing; many gardens and allotments of the villagers had already received their spring tillage; but the garden and the allotment of the Durbeyfields were behindhand.
Etymology
From behind + hand.
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.