contemporary

/kənˈtɛm.p(ə.)ɹə.ɹi/

//kənˈtɛm.p(ə.)ɹə.ɹi// adj

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

"contemporary" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“contemporary” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,050. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,050
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
19
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - From the same time period, coexistent in time; contemporaneous.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contemporary · contemporary · English

contemporary · rank #3,050 · 19 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,050
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 19 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH criticism

Nearest frequency peer: criticism (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “contemporary”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “contemporary” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for contemporary
PropertyValue
Headwordcontemporary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kənˈtɛm.p(ə.)ɹə.ɹi/
Letters12
Frequency rank#3,050
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contemporary”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “criticism” (#3,051), “coal” (#3,048), “Davis” (#3,052). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contemporary” is #3,050. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around contemporary (IPA /kənˈtɛm.p(ə.)ɹə.ɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #3,050 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for contemporary, with forms such as "ccontemporary", "cnotemporary", and "conetmporary". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Medieval Latin contemporārius, from Latin con- (“with, together”) + temporārius, an adjective derived from tempus (“time”). The correct English form is contemporary, spelled C-O-N-T-E-M-P-O-R-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    From the same time period, coexistent in time; contemporaneous.
  2. 2
    Modern, of the present age (shorthand for ‘contemporary with the present’).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A neighb'ring Wood born with himself he sees, / And loves his old contemporary trees.
  2. As this King [Henry VIII] vvas contemporary vvith the greateſt Monarchs of Europe, viz. the Emperor, the Kings of Spain and France, ſo he vvas engaged in many VVars, and in divers Leagues and Pacifications vvith them or either of them; for the better conſulting the Peace of Mankind.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin contemporārius, from Latin con- (“with, together”) + temporārius, an adjective derived from tempus (“time”).

Synonyms

coetaneouscoevalcontemporaneouscoincidentcontemporarycotemporalcotemporaneous

Antonyms

noncontemporaryuncontemporary

This word in other languages

coetáneo(Español)contemporain(Français)zeitgenössisch(Deutsch)moderno(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontemporary
  • cnotemporary
  • conetmporary
  • conntemporary
  • contemmporary
  • contemoprary
  • contempoarry
  • contemporarry
  • contemporaryy
  • contemporayr
  • contemporrary
  • contemporray
  • contempporary
  • contemproary
  • contepmorary
  • contmeporary
  • conttemporary
  • cotnemporary
  • ocntemporary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of contemporary - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccontemporary1cnotemporary2conetmporary2conntemporary1contemmporary1contemoprary2contempoarry2contemporarry1
Edit distance from "contemporary"

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 "contemporary"?
"contemporary" is spelled C-O-N-T-E-M-P-O-R-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈtɛm.p(ə.)ɹə.ɹi/.
What does "contemporary" mean?
As an adjective, "contemporary" means: From the same time period, coexistent in time; contemporaneous.
What are common misspellings of "contemporary"?
Common misspellings include "ccontemporary", "cnotemporary", "conetmporary", "conntemporary", "contemmporary". The correct spelling is "contemporary".
How do you pronounce "contemporary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contemporary" is /kənˈtɛm.p(ə.)ɹə.ɹi/. 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 "contemporary"?
From Medieval Latin contemporārius, from Latin con- (“with, together”) + temporārius, an adjective derived from tempus (“time”). 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 "contemporary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

neighborhood#3,012consequences#3,158presidential#2,906introduction#2,900

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (19 here; floor ≥5).

championship19 variantsrespectively19 variantsconstitution19 variantsindependence19 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list