rearward

/ˈɹɪəwɜːd/

//ˈɹɪəwɜːd// noun

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

"rearward" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rearward” is uncommon English (frequency #63,183 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,183
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The part that comes last or is situated in the rear; conclusion, wind-up.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rearward · rearward · English

rearward · rank #63,183 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,183
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rebbe

Nearest frequency peer: rebbe (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “rearward”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “rearward” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for rearward
PropertyValue
Headwordrearward
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹɪəwɜːd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#63,183
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rearward” sits in English frequency

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).rearwardlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “rebbe” (#63,184), “recalibrate” (#63,185), “Rashi” (#63,180). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

rearward is uncommon English at frequency #63,183 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɹɪəwɜːd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for rearward in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From rear + -ward. The correct English form is rearward, spelled R-E-A-R-W-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The part that comes last or is situated in the rear; conclusion, wind-up.
  2. 2
    The last troop; the rear of an army; a rear guard.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Do not liue Hero, do not ope thine eies: / For did I thinke thou vvouldſt not quickly die / Thought I thy ſpirites vvere ſtronger than thy ſhames / My ſelfe would on the rerevvard of reproches / Strike at thy life.
  2. For, though it were a knowen corruption, and therefore ſhould haue beene auoyded; yet [Robert] Bellarmine in muſtering vp the Fathers authorities, for proofe of the reading, ipſa (the beſt ground of their Mariolatrie) brings in [John] Chryſoſtom in the rereward.

Etymology

From rear + -ward.

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 "rearward"?
"rearward" is spelled R-E-A-R-W-A-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɪəwɜːd/.
What does "rearward" mean?
As a noun, "rearward" means: The part that comes last or is situated in the rear; conclusion, wind-up.
How do you pronounce "rearward"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rearward" is /ˈɹɪəwɜːd/. 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 "rearward"?
From rear + -ward. 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 "rearward", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

redeploy#63,189quizzing#63,171resubmit#63,196quelling#63,168

What to do next

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  • Usage frequency rank #63,183 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
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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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list