contiguous

/kənˈtɪɡ.ju.əs/

//kənˈtɪɡ.ju.əs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“contiguous” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,221. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,221
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Connected; touching; abutting.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contiguous · contiguous · English

contiguous · rank #23,221 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,221
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH conveys

Nearest frequency peer: conveys (+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 “contiguous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “contiguous” 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).

contiguous vs continuous
90% similar
contiguous vs contagious
80% similar

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

Key facts for contiguous
PropertyValue
Headwordcontiguous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kənˈtɪɡ.ju.əs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#23,221
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contiguous”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).contiguouslands 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 “conveys” (#23,222), “consecrated” (#23,219), “councilman” (#23,224). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contiguous” is #23,221. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around contiguous (IPA /kənˈtɪɡ.ju.əs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #23,221 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for contiguous, with forms such as "ccontiguous", "cnotiguous", and "conitguous". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "continuous", "contagious", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin contiguus (“touching”), from contingere (“to touch”); see contingent, contact, contagion. The correct English form is contiguous, spelled C-O-N-T-I-G-U-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Connected; touching; abutting.
  2. 2
    Adjacent; neighboring.
  3. 3
    Connecting without a break.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1730–1774, Oliver Goldsmith, Introductory to Switzerland Though poor the peasant’s hut, his feasts though small, He sees his little lot the lot of all; Sees no contiguous palace rear its head To shame the meanness of his humble shed;
  2. […] the usual quietness of the day, with us, was broken in upon by the shout of success from the pursuing boats, followed by vehement respondings from the contiguous ship.

Etymology

From Latin contiguus (“touching”), from contingere (“to touch”); see contingent, contact, contagion.

This word in other languages

contiguo(Español)contigu(Français)angrenzend(Deutsch)contíguo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontiguous
  • cnotiguous
  • conitguous
  • conntiguous
  • contgiuous
  • contigguous
  • contigouus
  • contiguosu
  • contiguouss
  • contiguuos
  • contiugous
  • conttiguous
  • cotniguous
  • ocntiguous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of contiguous - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccontiguous1cnotiguous2conitguous2conntiguous1contgiuous2contigguous1contigouus2contiguosu2
Edit distance from "contiguous"

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 "contiguous"?
"contiguous" is spelled C-O-N-T-I-G-U-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈtɪɡ.ju.əs/.
What does "contiguous" mean?
As an adjective, "contiguous" means: Connected; touching; abutting.
What words are commonly confused with "contiguous"?
"contiguous" is commonly confused with "continuous", "contagious". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "contiguous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contiguous" is /kənˈtɪɡ.ju.əs/. 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 "contiguous"?
From Latin contiguus (“touching”), from contingere (“to touch”); see contingent, contact, contagion. 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 "contiguous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

councilman#23,224dishonesty#23,243divergence#23,244euthanasia#23,266

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

congested14 variantsdisgraced14 variantsgreyhound14 variantstampering14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list