counterweight

noun

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

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

The verdict

“counterweight” has 20 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,582. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,582
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
20
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A heavy mass of often iron or concrete, mechanically linked in opposition to a load which is to be raised and lowered, with the intent of reducing the amount of work which must be done to effect th...

Corpus desk

Index EN-counterweight · counterweight · English

counterweight · rank #43,582 · 20 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,582
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 20 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH coronal

Nearest frequency peer: coronal (-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 “counterweight”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “counterweight” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for counterweight
PropertyValue
Headwordcounterweight
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters13
Frequency rank#43,582
Misspellings tracked20
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “counterweight”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).counterweightlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “coronal” (#43,581), “coupler” (#43,583), “cornering” (#43,580). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “counterweight” is #43,582. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 20 spelling variants around counterweight, anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,582 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for counterweight, with forms such as "ccounterweight", "conuterweight", and "counetrweight". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From counter- + weight. The correct English form is counterweight, spelled C-O-U-N-T-E-R-W-E-I-G-H-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A heavy mass of often iron or concrete, mechanically linked in opposition to a load which is to be raised and lowered, with the intent of reducing the amount of work which must be done to effect the raising and lowering. Counterweights are used, for example, in cable-hauled elevators and some kinds of movable bridges (e.g. a bascule bridge).
  2. 2
    A counterbalance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Four 110-ton counterweights, one in each tower, make this feat possible by reducing the effective weight to be lifted to some 25 tons; but an additional 20 tons (a very heavy snow load) can be lifted if necessary.
  2. Like other supertall towers, 432 Park relies on the counterweight system to address the forces of wind and reduce the feeling of swaying for residents.

Etymology

From counter- + weight.

This word in other languages

contrapeso(Español)contrepoids(Français)Gegengewicht(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccounterweight
  • conuterweight
  • counetrweight
  • counnterweight
  • counterewight
  • counterrweight
  • counterwegiht
  • counterweigght
  • counterweighht
  • counterweightt
  • counterweigth
  • counterweihgt
  • counterwieght
  • counterwweight
  • countewreight
  • countreweight
  • countterweight
  • coutnerweight
  • cuonterweight
  • ocunterweight

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of counterweight - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccounterweight1conuterweight2counetrweight2counnterweight1counterewight2counterrweight1counterwegiht2counterweigght1
Edit distance from "counterweight"

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 "counterweight"?
"counterweight" is spelled C-O-U-N-T-E-R-W-E-I-G-H-T.
What does "counterweight" mean?
As a noun, "counterweight" means: A heavy mass of often iron or concrete, mechanically linked in opposition to a load which is to be raised and lowered, with the intent of reducing the amount of work which must be done to effect th...
What are common misspellings of "counterweight"?
Common misspellings include "ccounterweight", "conuterweight", "counetrweight", "counnterweight", "counterewight". The correct spelling is "counterweight".
What is the origin of the word "counterweight"?
From counter- + weight. 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 "counterweight", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

combinatorial#43,573defibrillator#43,598disconnection#43,605unsympathetic#43,450

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (20 here; floor ≥5).

hydrographic20 variantsinsensitivity20 variantstriumphantly20 variantsthermonuclear20 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list