that
/ðət/
"that" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“that” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #10
- frequency rank, English
- 3,151
- “T” headwords
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Introducing a clause that is the object of a verb, especially a reporting verb or verb expressing belief, knowledge, perception, etc.
Corpus desk
Index EN-that · that · English
that · rank #10 · 6 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-CORE #10
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 6 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,151
- PHOTO-FINISH for
Nearest frequency peer: for (-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 “that”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- i
i
99,994 corpus weight
- is
is
99,993 corpus weight
- for
for
99,992 corpus weight
- that
that
99,991 corpus weight
- you
you
99,990 corpus weight
- it
it
99,989 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “that” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
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 | that |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Conjunction |
| IPA | /ðət/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “that” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 6 spelling variants around that (IPA /ðət/), aconjunction. Corpus frequency is #10 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for that, with forms such as "htat", "taht", and "thatt". 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, "TT", "the", "tho", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English that, from Old English þæt (“the, that”, neuter definite article and relative pronoun), from Proto-West Germanic *þat, from Proto-Germanic *þat. Cognate to Scots that, Saterland Frisian dät, West Frisian dat, Dutch dat, Low German dat an… The correct English form is that, spelled T-H-A-T.
Definition
- 1Introducing a clause that is the object of a verb, especially a reporting verb or verb expressing belief, knowledge, perception, etc.
- 2Introducing a clause that is the subject of a verb, especially the 'be' verb or a verb expressing judgement, opinion, etc.
- 3Introducing a clause that is the subject of a verb, especially the 'be' verb or a verb expressing judgement, opinion, etc.
- 4Introducing a clause that complements an adjective or passive participle.
- 5Introducing a clause that complements an adjective or passive participle.
- 6Introducing a subordinate clause modifying an adverb.
- 7Introducing a clause that describes the information content of a preceding reporting noun.
- 8Introducing — especially, but not exclusively, with an antecedent like so or such — a subordinate clause expressing a result, consequence, or effect.
- 9Introducing a subordinate clause that expresses an aim, purpose, or goal ("final"), and usually contains the auxiliaries may, might, or should: so, so that, in order that.
- 10Introducing a premise or supposition for consideration: seeing as; inasmuch as; given that; as would appear from the fact that.
- 11Introducing an exclamation expressing a desire or wish.
- 12Introducing an exclamation expressing a strong emotion such as sadness or surprise.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how that appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
He told me that the book is a good read.
I believe that it is true.
Etymology
From Middle English that, from Old English þæt (“the, that”, neuter definite article and relative pronoun), from Proto-West Germanic *þat, from Proto-Germanic *þat. Cognate to Scots that, Saterland Frisian dät, West Frisian dat, Dutch dat, Low German dat and datt, German dass and das, Danish det, Swedish det, Icelandic það, Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌰 (þata). Further from Proto-Indo-European *tód; compare Ancient Greek τό (tó), Sanskrit तद् (tád), Waigali ta, Lithuanian tai̇̃, Polish to.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- htat
- taht
- thatt
- thhat
- thta
- tthat
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of that - 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.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "that"?
What does "that" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "that"?
How do you pronounce "that"?
What is the origin of the word "that"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "that", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).
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.