even the score

verb

"even-the-score" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“even the score” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To seek or obtain revenge against someone.

Corpus desk

Index EN-even-the-score · even the score · English

even the score · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for even the score
PropertyValue
Headwordeven the score
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “even the score” in English

even the scoresits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

even the score is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To seek or obtain revenge against someone.".

Zero misspellings are on record for even the score in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: By analogy to scorekeeping in sports. The correct English form is even the score, spelled E-V-E-N- -T-H-E- -S-C-O-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To seek or obtain revenge against someone.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonyms: pay off old scores, pay back in someone's own coin
  2. When the student pulled a prank on the principal, the principal evened the score by giving the student a suspension.

Etymology

By analogy to scorekeeping in sports.

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 "even the score"?
"even the score" is spelled E-V-E-N- -T-H-E- -S-C-O-R-E.
What does "even the score" mean?
As a verb, "even the score" means: To seek or obtain revenge against someone.
What is the origin of the word "even the score"?
By analogy to scorekeeping in sports. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list