long-distance

adj

"long-distance" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“long-distance” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Over a great length or distance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-long-distance · long-distance · English

long-distance · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" 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 long-distance
PropertyValue
Headwordlong-distance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “long-distance” in English

long-distancefalls 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.

Rare enough to double-check

long-distance is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for long-distance in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is long-distance, spelled L-O-N-G---D-I-S-T-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Over a great length or distance.
  2. 2
    Referring to a nonlocal telephone call; a toll call.
  3. 3
    Referring to a romantic relationship: between two people with a considerable distance between them.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He is a long-distance runner.
  2. In the short to medium term, there appears to be no practical alternative to petroleum-based traction power. An electric long-distance lorry is like a concrete air balloon - its weight in batteries exceeds its carrying capacity.

Antonyms

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 "long-distance"?
"long-distance" is spelled L-O-N-G---D-I-S-T-A-N-C-E.
What does "long-distance" mean?
As an adjective, "long-distance" means: Over a great length or distance.
What language does "long-distance" come from?
"long-distance" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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