come across

verb

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

The verdict

“come across” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see come, across.

Corpus desk

Index EN-come-across · come across · English

come across · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" 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.

Key facts for come across
PropertyValue
Headwordcome across
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “come across” in English

come acrossfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

come across is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 8 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for come across in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is come across, spelled C-O-M-E- -A-C-R-O-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see come, across.
  2. 2
    To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition.
  3. 3
    To give an appearance or impression; to project a certain image; to seem or appear (to be some way).
  4. 4
    To find, usually by accident.
  5. 5
    To produce what was desired; to come up with the goods.
  6. 6
    To give in and do what is wanted or expected; to acquiesce to something.
  7. 7
    To give in and do what is wanted or expected; to acquiesce to something.
  8. 8
    To give in and do what is wanted or expected; to acquiesce to something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He came across the street towards me.
  2. You argued well in court but your firm doesn't pay its lawyers well, so why don't you come across to ours?

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "come across"?
"come across" is spelled C-O-M-E- -A-C-R-O-S-S.
What does "come across" mean?
As a verb, "come across" means: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see come, across.
What language does "come across" come from?
"come across" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list