latter

/ˈlæt.ə(ɹ)/

//ˈlæt.ə(ɹ)// adj

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

"latter" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“latter” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,686. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,686
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Relating to or being the second of two items.

Corpus desk

Index EN-latter · latter · English

latter · rank #2,686 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,686
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH laid

Nearest frequency peer: laid (-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 “latter”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “latter” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

latter vs layer
67% similar
latter vs liter
67% similar
latter vs lotte
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for latter
PropertyValue
Headwordlatter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈlæt.ə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,686
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “latter”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).latterlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “laid” (#2,685), “manufacturing” (#2,687), “Kevin” (#2,684). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “latter” is #2,686. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around latter (IPA /ˈlæt.ə(ɹ)/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,686 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for latter, with forms such as "altter", "latetr", and "latterr". 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 also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "layer", "liter", "lotte", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old English lætra, comparative form of læt (“late”). Doublet of later; also, cognate with last, whose doublet is latest. The correct English form is latter, spelled L-A-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Relating to or being the second of two items.
  2. 2
    Near (or nearer) to the end.
  3. 3
    In the past, but close (or closer) to the present time.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The archaic past participle shapen is only used in misshapen, ill-shapen, and well-shapen (the latter two are much less common, though).
  2. On sale next to dried fish and chicken feet were rats and bats (the latter's wings in a pile like leather scraps, also for sale), plus cut-up pigs and monkeys, their faces intact.

Etymology

From Old English lætra, comparative form of læt (“late”). Doublet of later; also, cognate with last, whose doublet is latest.

Antonyms

former

This word in other languages

segundo(Español)dernier(Français)letzterer(Deutsch)segundo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • altter
  • latetr
  • latterr
  • lattre
  • llatter
  • ltater

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

altter2latetr2latterr1lattre2llatter1ltater2
Edit distance from "latter"

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 "latter"?
"latter" is spelled L-A-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlæt.ə(ɹ)/.
What does "latter" mean?
As an adjective, "latter" means: Relating to or being the second of two items.
What words are commonly confused with "latter"?
"latter" is commonly confused with "layer", "liter", "lotte". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "latter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "latter" is /ˈlæt.ə(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "latter"?
From Old English lætra, comparative form of læt (“late”). Doublet of later; also, cognate with last, whose doublet is latest. 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 "latter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mining#2,688object#2,689expert#2,677excuse#2,676

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

golf6 variantsarrest6 variantsyard6 variantstend6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list