cross-border

adj

"cross-border" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cross-border” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Taking place across a border.

Key facts for cross-border
PropertyValue
Headwordcross-border
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cross-border” sits in English frequency

cross-border falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cross-border is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Taking place across a border.".

cross-border doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From cross- + border. The correct English form is cross-border, spelled C-R-O-S-S---B-O-R-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Taking place across a border.

Etymology

From cross- + border.

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

How do you spell "cross-border"?
"cross-border" is spelled C-R-O-S-S---B-O-R-D-E-R.
What does "cross-border" mean?
As an adjective, "cross-border" means: Taking place across a border.
What is the origin of the word "cross-border"?
From cross- + border. 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 “cross-border”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-R-O-S-S---B-O-R-D-E-R - 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list