# continent

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɒntɪnənt/ · frequency rank #6,348

## Definitions
1. One of the main contiguous landmasses, separated by water or geological features, on the surface of a planet, sometimes including its continental shelves and the islands on them.
2. Each of the traditional main regions into which the Earth’s land surface is divided, including both an extent of mainland and various conventionally associated islands, etc; namely, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australasia/Oceania, North America, South America, and Antarctica.
3. A large contiguous landmass as opposed to its islands, peninsulas, and so forth; mainland. Also specifically, the Old World continent of Europe–Asia–Africa: see the Continent.
4. A large connected expanse of something in general.
5. Any continuous tract or area of land; country, connected region.
6. Land (as opposed to the water), dry land.
7. The body or mass of a celestial body such as the sun or moon.
8. Container, vessel, something that holds or contains something else.
9. Space, capacity.
10. The principal or essential points of something viewed collectively: sum, summary, substance.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin continens, noun use of present participle of continēre (“to contain”).

## Easily confused with
- **contingent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/continent-vs-contingent)
- **continental** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/continent-vs-continental)
- **content** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/content-vs-continent)
- **confident** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/confident-vs-continent)
- **condiment** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/condiment-vs-continent)
- **containment** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/containment-vs-continent)

## Common misspellings (14)
`ccontinent`, `cnotinent`, `conitnent`, `conntinent`, `contiennt`, `continennt`, `continentt`, `continetn`, `continnent`, `continnet`, `contnient`, `conttinent`, `cotninent`, `ocntinent`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/continent