per contra
"per-contra" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“per contra” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adverb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - in contrast, on the contrary
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | per contra |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “per contra” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for per contra is 10 letters long, classified as an adverb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "in contrast, on the contrary".
No misspelling variants are generated for per contra in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin per contra. The correct English form is per contra, spelled P-E-R- -C-O-N-T-R-A.
Definition
- 1in contrast, on the contrary
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin per contra.
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
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Using “per contra”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-R- -C-O-N-T-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.