contra dance
"contra-dance" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“contra dance” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A type of folk dance style in which couples dance in two facing lines of indefinite length.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | contra dance |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “contra dance” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for contra dance is 12 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A type of folk dance style in which couples dance in two facing lines of indefinite length.".
contra dance doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French contredanse. The correct English form is contra dance, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A- -D-A-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1A type of folk dance style in which couples dance in two facing lines of indefinite length.
Etymology
From French contredanse.
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
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Using “contra dance”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-T-R-A- -D-A-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.