next to
"next-to" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“next to” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a preposition. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Beside, alongside, by, adjacent to, or near.
Corpus desk
Index EN-next-to · next to · English
next to · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "N" 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 | next to |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Preposition |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “next to” in English
Rare enough to double-check
next to is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as apreposition. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for next to, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct English form is next to, spelled N-E-X-T- -T-O.
Definition
- 1Beside, alongside, by, adjacent to, or near.
- 2Immediately after, in choice or consideration; aside from.
- 3Compared to, in comparison with.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how next to appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Would you mind if I sit next to you?
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
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.