extant
/ˈɛk.stənt/
"extant" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“extant” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,919. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #20,919
- frequency rank, English
- 2,246
- “E” headwords
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 11
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Still in existence; not having disappeared.
Corpus desk
Index EN-extant · extant · English
extant · rank #20,919 · 9 variants · 11 confusables
- FREQ-MID #20,919
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
- VAR-MID 9 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,246
- PHOTO-FINISH Ezekiel
Nearest frequency peer: Ezekiel (+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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “extant”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- emit
emit
79,087 corpus weight
- enthusiasti…
enthusiastically
79,086 corpus weight
- extant
extant
79,082 corpus weight
- Ezekiel
Ezekiel
79,081 corpus weight
- fathom
fathom
79,079 corpus weight
- fictitious
fictitious
79,077 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “extant” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
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 | extant |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈɛk.stənt/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #20,919 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 11 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “extant” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 9 spelling variants around extant (IPA /ˈɛk.stənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #20,919 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for extant, with forms such as "etxant", "exatnt", and "extannt". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "extent", "extend", "extort", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1545, from Latin extantem, extāns, present participle of extō (“to stand out, exist, be extant”), from ex- (“out”) + stō (“stand”). The correct English form is extant, spelled E-X-T-A-N-T.
Definition
- 1Still in existence; not having disappeared.
- 2Still alive; not extinct.
- 3Standing out, or above the rest.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how extant appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
extant manuscripts of the Old Testament
During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant[…]
Etymology
First attested in 1545, from Latin extantem, extāns, present participle of extō (“to stand out, exist, be extant”), from ex- (“out”) + stō (“stand”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- etxant
- exatnt
- extannt
- extantt
- extatn
- extnat
- exttant
- exxtant
- xetant
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of extant - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "extant", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).
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.