contest

/ˈkɒn.tɛst/

//ˈkɒn.tɛst// noun

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

"contest" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“contest” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,826. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,826
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Controversy; debate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contest · contest · English

contest · rank #2,826 · 11 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,826
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH constantly

Nearest frequency peer: constantly (-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 “contest”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “contest” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

contest vs Cortes
57% similar
contest vs context
86% similar
contest vs convert
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for contest
PropertyValue
Headwordcontest
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒn.tɛst/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,826
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contest”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).contestlands 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 “constantly” (#2,825), “deaths” (#2,827), “closely” (#2,824). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contest” is #2,826. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around contest (IPA /ˈkɒn.tɛst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,826 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for contest, with forms such as "ccontest", "cnotest", and "conetst". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Cortes", "context", "convert", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *tréyes From French contester, from Old French, from Latin contestor (“to call to witness”). The correct English form is contest, spelled C-O-N-T-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Controversy; debate.
  2. 2
    Struggle for superiority; combat.
  3. 3
    A competition.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The child entered the spelling contest.

Etymology

PIE word *tréyes From French contester, from Old French, from Latin contestor (“to call to witness”).

This word in other languages

debate(Español)concours(Français)Auseinandersetzung(Deutsch)disputa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontest
  • cnotest
  • conetst
  • conntest
  • contesst
  • contestt
  • contets
  • contset
  • conttest
  • cotnest
  • ocntest

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of contest - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccontest1cnotest2conetst2conntest1contesst1contestt1contets2contset2
Edit distance from "contest"

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 "contest"?
"contest" is spelled C-O-N-T-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒn.tɛst/.
What does "contest" mean?
As a noun, "contest" means: Controversy; debate.
What words are commonly confused with "contest"?
"contest" is commonly confused with "Cortes", "context", "convert". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "contest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contest" is /ˈkɒn.tɛst/. 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 "contest"?
PIE word *tréyes From French contester, from Old French, from Latin contestor (“to call to witness”). 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 "contest", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

closely#2,824depends#2,828causing#2,823invited#2,839

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

officially11 variantsportion11 variantsrespond11 variantsultimate11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list