rebut
/ɹɪˈbʌt/
"rebut" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“rebut” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #47,289 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #47,289
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To drive back or beat back; to repulse.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | rebut |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈbʌt/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #47,289 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “rebut” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for rebut is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈbʌt/. Corpus data places it at rank #47,289 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for rebut, with forms such as "erbut", "rbeut", and "rebbut". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ret", "rut", "rest", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English rebutten, rebouten, from Old French reboter, rebuter, rebouter, etc., from re- + boter, buter, bouter (“to butt”). Entered English around 1302-1307. The correct English form is rebut, spelled R-E-B-U-T.
Definition
- 1To drive back or beat back; to repulse.
- 2To deny the truth of something, especially by presenting arguments that disprove it.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English rebutten, rebouten, from Old French reboter, rebuter, rebouter, etc., from re- + boter, buter, bouter (“to butt”). Entered English around 1302-1307.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: erbut,rbeut,rebbut,rebtu,rebutt,reubt,rrebut
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rebut - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “rebut”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-B-U-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹɪˈbʌt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “ret” - see the side-by-side comparison. rebut vs ret
- 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.