counterargument

noun

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

"counterargument" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“counterargument” is uncommon English (frequency #99,129 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#99,129
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An argument that is opposed to another argument.

Key facts for counterargument
PropertyValue
Headwordcounterargument
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters15
Frequency rank#99,129
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “counterargument” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

counterargument is uncommon English at frequency #99,129 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An argument that is opposed to another argument.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for counterargument, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From counter- + argument. The correct English form is counterargument, spelled C-O-U-N-T-E-R-A-R-G-U-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An argument that is opposed to another argument.

Etymology

From counter- + argument.

This word in other languages

contraargumento(Español)contre-argument(Français)Gegenargument(Deutsch)

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 "counterargument"?
"counterargument" is spelled C-O-U-N-T-E-R-A-R-G-U-M-E-N-T.
What does "counterargument" mean?
As a noun, "counterargument" means: An argument that is opposed to another argument.
What is the origin of the word "counterargument"?
From counter- + argument. 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.

Using “counterargument”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-U-N-T-E-R-A-R-G-U-M-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list