contralateral

/ˌkɑntɹəˈlætəɹəl/

//ˌkɑntɹəˈlætəɹəl// adj

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

"contralateral" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“contralateral” is uncommon English (frequency #71,418 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,418
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - On the opposite side of the body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contralateral · contralateral · English

contralateral · rank #71,418 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,418
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH contextualize

Nearest frequency peer: contextualize (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “contralateral”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “contralateral” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for contralateral
PropertyValue
Headwordcontralateral
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌkɑntɹəˈlætəɹəl/
Letters13
Frequency rank#71,418
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “contralateral” in English

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

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “contextualize” (#71,417), “conjurer” (#71,416), “corne” (#71,420). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contralateral” is #71,418. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

contralateral is uncommon English at frequency #71,418 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌkɑntɹəˈlætəɹəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "On the opposite side of the body.".

Zero misspellings are on record for contralateral in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From contra- + lateral. The correct English form is contralateral, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-L-A-T-E-R-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    On the opposite side of the body.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Early detection and advances in breast cancer treatment have increased the overall survival and life expectancy of patients with unilateral breast cancer, thereby increasing their risk of subsequently developing contralateral breast cancer.

Etymology

From contra- + lateral.

Antonyms

ipsilateral

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 "contralateral"?
"contralateral" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-L-A-T-E-R-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɑntɹəˈlætəɹəl/.
What does "contralateral" mean?
As an adjective, "contralateral" means: On the opposite side of the body.
How do you pronounce "contralateral"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contralateral" is /ˌkɑntɹəˈlætəɹəl/. 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 "contralateral"?
From contra- + lateral. 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 "contralateral", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

contextualize#71,417blacksmithing#71,332imperceptibly#71,585lymphoblastic#71,671

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list