rearguard

/ˈɹɪəɹˌɡɑɹd/

//ˈɹɪəɹˌɡɑɹd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“rearguard” is uncommon English (frequency #51,347 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,347
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The rearmost part of a force, especially a detachment of troops that protect the rear of a retreating force.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rearguard · rearguard · English

rearguard · rank #51,347 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,347
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reasonableness

Nearest frequency peer: reasonableness (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “rearguard”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “rearguard” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for rearguard
PropertyValue
Headwordrearguard
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹɪəɹˌɡɑɹd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#51,347
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “rearguard” in English

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).rearguardfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “reasonableness” (#51,348), “rapt” (#51,345), “rebus” (#51,350). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rearguard” is #51,347. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

rearguard is uncommon English at frequency #51,347 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɹɪəɹˌɡɑɹd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

rearguard has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From rear + guard. Attested in The Song of Roland c. 1150 (rereguarde). Doublet of retrogarde. The correct English form is rearguard, spelled R-E-A-R-G-U-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The rearmost part of a force, especially a detachment of troops that protect the rear of a retreating force.
  2. 2
    The defence, collectively the defenders.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Mancini's side only showed enough ambition when it was too late and by then battle lines were drawn as James Collins and former City captain Richard Dunne fought a magnificent rearguard action at the heart of Villa's defence.

Etymology

From rear + guard. Attested in The Song of Roland c. 1150 (rereguarde). Doublet of retrogarde.

This word in other languages

retaguardia(Español)arrière-garde(Français)Nachhut(Deutsch)retaguarda(Português)

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 "rearguard"?
"rearguard" is spelled R-E-A-R-G-U-A-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɪəɹˌɡɑɹd/.
What does "rearguard" mean?
As a noun, "rearguard" means: The rearmost part of a force, especially a detachment of troops that protect the rear of a retreating force.
How do you pronounce "rearguard"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rearguard" is /ˈɹɪəɹˌɡɑɹd/. 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 "rearguard"?
From rear + guard. Attested in The Song of Roland c. 1150 (rereguarde). Doublet of retrogarde. 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 "rearguard", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sharpener#51,385sideburns#51,391nighthawk#51,279sterility#51,417

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list