opposite

/ˈɒpəzɪt/

//ˈɒpəzɪt// adj

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

"opposite" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“opposite” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,399. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,399
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Located directly across from something else, or from each other.

Corpus desk

Index EN-opposite · opposite · English

opposite · rank #2,399 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,399
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH moments

Nearest frequency peer: moments (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “opposite”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “opposite” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

opposite vs oppose
75% similar
opposite vs opposing
75% similar

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

Key facts for opposite
PropertyValue
Headwordopposite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɒpəzɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,399
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “opposite” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).oppositelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “moments” (#2,398), “orange” (#2,400), “minor” (#2,397). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around opposite (IPA /ˈɒpəzɪt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,399 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for opposite, with forms such as "opopsite", "oposite", and "oppoiste". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "oppose", "opposing", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English opposit, borrowed from Old French oposite, from Latin oppositus, perfect passive participle of oppōnō (“to oppose”). Compare oppose. The correct English form is opposite, spelled O-P-P-O-S-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Located directly across from something else, or from each other.
  2. 2
    Of leaves and flowers, positioned directly across from each other on a stem.
  3. 3
    Facing in the other direction.
  4. 4
    Of either of two complementary or mutually exclusive things.
  5. 5
    Extremely different; inconsistent; contrary; repugnant; antagonistic.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She saw him walking on the opposite side of the road.
  2. They were moving in opposite directions.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English opposit, borrowed from Old French oposite, from Latin oppositus, perfect passive participle of oppōnō (“to oppose”). Compare oppose.

Synonyms

antipodeanantitheticalcontrariantcontradictorycontrariwisecontrarycontrastedconversecountercrossinverseinvertedoppugnantopposedoppositereversewitherward

Antonyms

identical

This word in other languages

opuesto(Español)opposé(Français)gegenüberliegend(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opopsite
  • oposite
  • oppoiste
  • opposiet
  • oppositte
  • oppossite
  • oppostie
  • oppsoite
  • poposite

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of opposite - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

opopsite2oposite1oppoiste2opposiet2oppositte1oppossite1oppostie2oppsoite2
Edit distance from "opposite"

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 "opposite"?
"opposite" is spelled O-P-P-O-S-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒpəzɪt/.
What does "opposite" mean?
As an adjective, "opposite" means: Located directly across from something else, or from each other.
What words are commonly confused with "opposite"?
"opposite" is commonly confused with "oppose", "opposing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "opposite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "opposite" is /ˈɒpəzɪt/. 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 "opposite"?
Inherited from Middle English opposit, borrowed from Old French oposite, from Latin oppositus, perfect passive participle of oppōnō (“to oppose”). Compare oppose. 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 "opposite", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

remained#2,403struggle#2,408Thursday#2,412champion#2,381

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

signal9 variantsstream9 variantssuicide9 variantstalked9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "opposite". Here's where to go from here.

  • "opposite" maps to 2 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "oppose". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,399 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "O" letter cohort. O–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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