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PlainSpell

notwithstanding

/ˌnɑtwɪθˈstændɪŋ/adverb, conjunction, preposition, postposition

notwithstanding is spelled N-O-T-W-I-T-H-S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G. The wrong spelling people search most is notwhithstanding: about 10 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 303 of all searches for the word. Notwithstanding is an adverb meaning “Nevertheless, all the same”.

How many letters and syllables are in notwithstanding?

Letters15: N-O-T-W-I-T-H-S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G
Syllables4 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing3.0 times per million words; the 15,368th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searched1; the most searched, notwhithstanding, about 10 Bing searches a month (all of them)
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How do you spell notwithstanding?

Notwithstanding is spelled N-O-T-W-I-T-H-S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 302 of the searches for notwithstanding in either form.

notwithstandingthe right spelling3,010 searches a month
notwhithstandingan extra h10 searches a month

Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.

How common is notwithstanding?

Notwithstanding appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,368th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce notwithstanding?

  • UK /ˌnɒtwɪðˈstændɪŋ/
  • US /ˌnɑtwɪθˈstændɪŋ/

Notwithstanding has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-notwithstanding-2.ogg, En-us-notwithstanding.ogg, En-au-notwithstanding.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with notwithstanding?

6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as notwithstanding from its last stressed vowel (/ændɪŋ/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of notwithstanding

  • nonwithstanding

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does notwithstanding mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adverb

  1. 1

    Nevertheless, all the same.

    He, notwithstanding, persisted in his inquiries.

conjunction

  1. 1

    Although; despite the fact that; even though.

    Notwithstanding I was provoked, I ought not to have reacted so violently.

preposition

  1. 1

    In spite of, despite.

    Notwithstanding personal preferences, the school district's rules on the topic govern our decision.

postposition

  1. 1

    In spite of, despite.

    in accordance with school district rules on the topic, personal preferences notwithstanding

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Notwithstanding in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchbien que (although), en dépit de, nonobstant, malgré (in spite of)
Germanobwohl, obgleich, wenngleich, obschon (although), ungeachtet, trotz (in spite of)
Portugueseapesar de (in spite of)
Spanishno obstante (in spite of)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does notwithstanding come from?

From Middle English notwithstandinge, notwithstondyng, natwithstandyng, equivalent to not + withstanding. Compare Middle English notgainstonding, not aȝenstondynge, of similar meaning and formation.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after notwithstanding