quarterback

/ˈkwɔːtəbak/

//ˈkwɔːtəbak// noun

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

"quarterback" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“quarterback” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,728. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,728
frequency rank, English
288
“Q” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An offensive back whose primary job is to pass the ball in a play.

Corpus desk

Index EN-quarterback · quarterback · English

quarterback · rank #7,728 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,728
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 288
  • PHOTO-FINISH purse

Nearest frequency peer: purse (-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 “quarterback”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “quarterback” 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
Key facts for quarterback
PropertyValue
Headwordquarterback
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkwɔːtəbak/
Letters11
Frequency rank#7,728
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “quarterback”

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).quarterbacklands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “purse” (#7,727), “Reagan” (#7,729), “punish” (#7,726). Among 288 “Q” headwords, “quarterback” is #7,728. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around quarterback (IPA /ˈkwɔːtəbak/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,728 among 288 “Q” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for quarterback, with forms such as "qaurterback", "qquarterback", and "quaretrback". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From quarter + back, in reference to the position in front of the halfback position. The correct English form is quarterback, spelled Q-U-A-R-T-E-R-B-A-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    An offensive back whose primary job is to pass the ball in a play.
  2. 2
    An offensive back who receives the snap (hike) and then blocks the defense from crossing the line of scrimmage; a blocking back.
  3. 3
    A position just behind the forwards, or one who plays this position.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Standing 6-foot-6, 237 pounds, Herbert’s size and arm strength are consistent with a prototypical N.F.L. quarterback, and he led the Ducks to a Pac-12 championship and a victory at the Rose Bowl in January with not much talent at receiver.
  2. Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans defended Azeez Al-Shaair after the linebacker was ejected from Sunday’s game for throwing a late hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. […] “A lot of the quarterbacks in this day and age, they try to take advantage of the rule where they slide late, and they try to get an extra yard. And now you’re…

Etymology

From quarter + back, in reference to the position in front of the halfback position.

This word in other languages

quart-arrière(Français)Quarterback(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • qaurterback
  • qquarterback
  • quaretrback
  • quarrterback
  • quartebrack
  • quarterabck
  • quarterbacck
  • quarterbackk
  • quarterbakc
  • quarterbback
  • quarterbcak
  • quarterrback
  • quartreback
  • quartterback
  • quatrerback
  • quraterback
  • uqarterback

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

qaurterback2qquarterback1quaretrback2quarrterback1quartebrack2quarterabck2quarterbacck1quarterbackk1
Edit distance from "quarterback"

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 "quarterback"?
"quarterback" is spelled Q-U-A-R-T-E-R-B-A-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkwɔːtəbak/.
What does "quarterback" mean?
As a noun, "quarterback" means: An offensive back whose primary job is to pass the ball in a play.
What are common misspellings of "quarterback"?
Common misspellings include "qaurterback", "qquarterback", "quaretrback", "quarrterback", "quartebrack". The correct spelling is "quarterback".
How do you pronounce "quarterback"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quarterback" is /ˈkwɔːtəbak/. 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 "quarterback"?
From quarter + back, in reference to the position in front of the halfback position. 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 "quarterback", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

reservation#7,733sensitivity#7,740businessman#7,657accessories#7,640

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

dramatically17 variantsremembering17 variantssupervision17 variantscoincidence17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list