laugh at

verb

"laugh-at" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“laugh at” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see laugh, at.

Key facts for laugh at
PropertyValue
Headwordlaugh at
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “laugh at” sits in English frequency

laugh at 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for laugh at is 8 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for laugh at in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is laugh at, spelled L-A-U-G-H- -A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see laugh, at.
  2. 2
    To scorn or tease; to evince contempt or pity for someone, usually contrasted with laugh with.
  3. 3
    To act uncaring of or dismissive of (something).

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 "laugh at"?
"laugh at" is spelled L-A-U-G-H- -A-T.
What does "laugh at" mean?
As a verb, "laugh at" means: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see laugh, at.
What language does "laugh at" come from?
"laugh at" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “laugh at”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is L-A-U-G-H- -A-T - 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