contrary
/ˈkɒntɹəɹi/
"contrary" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“contrary” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,404. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #5,404
- frequency rank, English
- 5,599
- “C” headwords
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.
Corpus desk
Index EN-contrary · contrary · English
contrary · rank #5,404 · 13 variants · 2 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #5,404
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
- VAR-HIGH 13 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 5,599
- PHOTO-FINISH compliance
Nearest frequency peer: compliance (-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 “contrary”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- colonial
colonial
94,600 corpus weight
- comics
comics
94,599 corpus weight
- compliance
compliance
94,598 corpus weight
- contrary
contrary
94,597 corpus weight
- controlling
controlling
94,596 corpus weight
- corporations
corporations
94,595 corpus weight
What this shows “contrary” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | contrary |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈkɒntɹəɹi/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #5,404 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contrary”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 13 spelling variants around contrary (IPA /ˈkɒntɹəɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,404 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for contrary, with forms such as "ccontrary", "cnotrary", and "conntrary". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "contrast", "contract", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English contrarie, compare French contraire, from Old French contraire, from Latin contrārius (“opposite, opposed, contrary”), from contrā (“against”). The correct English form is contrary, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-R-Y.
Definition
- 1Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.
- 2Opposed; contradictory; inconsistent.
- 3Given to opposition; perverse; wayward.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how contrary appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
contrary winds
And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me[…]
Etymology
From Middle English contrarie, compare French contraire, from Old French contraire, from Latin contrārius (“opposite, opposed, contrary”), from contrā (“against”).
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ccontrary
- cnotrary
- conntrary
- conrtary
- contarry
- contrarry
- contraryy
- contrayr
- contrrary
- contrray
- conttrary
- cotnrary
- ocntrary
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of contrary - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "contrary"?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "contrary", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).