go-ahead
"go-ahead" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“go-ahead” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Approval, agreement, or instruction to begin or proceed.
Corpus desk
Index EN-go-ahead · go-ahead · English
go-ahead · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "G" 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | go-ahead |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “go-ahead” in English
Rare enough to double-check
go-ahead is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for go-ahead in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from go ahead. As a name for footwear, from the fact that one can't easily step backwards wearing them. The correct English form is go-ahead, spelled G-O---A-H-E-A-D.
Definition
- 1Approval, agreement, or instruction to begin or proceed.
- 2A flip-flop (footwear).
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how go-ahead appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
You can start as soon as you get the go-ahead from the president.
The Samson Option states that Moshe Dayan gave the go-ahead for starting weapon production in early 1968, putting the plutonium separation plant into full operation.
Etymology
Deverbal from go ahead. As a name for footwear, from the fact that one can't easily step backwards wearing them.
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.