pact

/pækt/

//pækt// noun

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

"pact" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pact” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,740. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,740
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An agreement; a compact; a covenant.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pact · pact · English

pact · rank #10,740 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,740
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH owing

Nearest frequency peer: owing (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “pact”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “pact” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

pact vs PC
0% similar
pact vs pt
50% similar
pact vs put
50% similar

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

Key facts for pact
PropertyValue
Headwordpact
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pækt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#10,740
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pact”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).pactlands 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 “owing” (#10,739), “paramount” (#10,741), “oriental” (#10,738). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pact” is #10,740. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around pact (IPA /pækt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,740 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for pact, with forms such as "apct", "pacct", and "pactt". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PC", "pt", "put", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pact, from Middle French pacte, from Old French, and its etymon Latin pactum (“something agreed upon”), from pacīscī (“to agree”). Probably a doublet of patio. The correct English form is pact, spelled P-A-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An agreement; a compact; a covenant.
  2. 2
    An agreement between two or more nations
  3. 3
    An alliance or coalition.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. write up a pact
  2. New sisters at the sorority have to agree to the pact set out by the former members.

Etymology

From Middle English pact, from Middle French pacte, from Old French, and its etymon Latin pactum (“something agreed upon”), from pacīscī (“to agree”). Probably a doublet of patio.

Synonyms

accordagreementbondcompactconcordconventioncovenantpactpactionstipulation

This word in other languages

pacto(Español)pacte(Français)Pakt(Deutsch)pacto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apct
  • pacct
  • pactt
  • patc
  • pcat
  • ppact

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pact - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

apct2pacct1pactt1patc2pcat2ppact1
Edit distance from "pact"

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 "pact"?
"pact" is spelled P-A-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /pækt/.
What does "pact" mean?
As a noun, "pact" means: An agreement; a compact; a covenant.
What words are commonly confused with "pact"?
"pact" is commonly confused with "PC", "pt", "put". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pact"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pact" is /pækt/. 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 "pact"?
From Middle English pact, from Middle French pacte, from Old French, and its etymon Latin pactum (“something agreed upon”), from pacīscī (“to agree”). Probably a doublet of patio. 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 "pact", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

oops#10,737null#10,735mann#10,725lava#10,720

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

owing6 variantsHank6 variantstroll6 variantsflex6 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list