posterior

/pɒsˈtɪə.ɹi.ə/

//pɒsˈtɪə.ɹi.ə// adj

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

"posterior" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“posterior” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,562. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,562
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Nearer the rear or hind end; nearer the caudal end of the body in quadrupeds or the dorsal end in bipeds.

Corpus desk

Index EN-posterior · posterior · English

posterior · rank #16,562 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #16,562
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pol

Nearest frequency peer: pol (-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 “posterior”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “posterior” 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).

posterior vs posterity
78% similar

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

Key facts for posterior
PropertyValue
Headwordposterior
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pɒsˈtɪə.ɹi.ə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#16,562
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “posterior”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).posteriorlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “pol” (#16,561), “pouch” (#16,563), “poised” (#16,560). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “posterior” is #16,562. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around posterior (IPA /pɒsˈtɪə.ɹi.ə/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #16,562 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for posterior, with forms such as "opsterior", "posetrior", and "possterior". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "posterity", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin posterior (“that comes or follows after; later, latter”). The correct English form is posterior, spelled P-O-S-T-E-R-I-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nearer the rear or hind end; nearer the caudal end of the body in quadrupeds or the dorsal end in bipeds.
  2. 2
    Nearer the rear or hind end; nearer the caudal end of the body in quadrupeds or the dorsal end in bipeds.
  3. 3
    Following in order or in time.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin posterior (“that comes or follows after; later, latter”).

This word in other languages

trasero(Español)postérieur(Français)hinterer(Deutsch)posterior(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opsterior
  • posetrior
  • possterior
  • posteiror
  • posteriorr
  • posteriro
  • posteroir
  • posterrior
  • postreior
  • postterior
  • potserior
  • pposterior
  • psoterior

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of posterior - 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.

opsterior2posetrior2possterior1posteiror2posteriorr1posteriro2posteroir2posterrior1
Edit distance from "posterior"

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 "posterior"?
"posterior" is spelled P-O-S-T-E-R-I-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /pɒsˈtɪə.ɹi.ə/.
What does "posterior" mean?
As an adjective, "posterior" means: Nearer the rear or hind end; nearer the caudal end of the body in quadrupeds or the dorsal end in bipeds.
What words are commonly confused with "posterior"?
"posterior" is commonly confused with "posterity". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "posterior"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "posterior" is /pɒsˈtɪə.ɹi.ə/. 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 "posterior"?
Borrowed from Latin posterior (“that comes or follows after; later, latter”). 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 "posterior", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

psychotic#16,570overboard#16,552offseason#16,550offending#16,549

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

sanction13 variantsuploading13 variantshorrendous13 variantsanchorage13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list