when all is said and done

phrase

"when-all-is-said-and-done" is a 20-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“when all is said and done” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
25
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In the end; ultimately.

Key facts for when all is said and done
PropertyValue
Headwordwhen all is said and done
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPhrase
Letters25
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “when all is said and done” sits in English frequency

when all is said and done falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for when all is said and done is 25 letters long, classified as a phrase. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "In the end; ultimately.".

Zero misspellings are on record for when all is said and done in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is when all is said and done, spelled W-H-E-N- -A-L-L- -I-S- -S-A-I-D- -A-N-D- -D-O-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    In the end; ultimately.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "when all is said and done"?
"when all is said and done" is spelled W-H-E-N- -A-L-L- -I-S- -S-A-I-D- -A-N-D- -D-O-N-E.
What does "when all is said and done" mean?
As a phrase, "when all is said and done" means: In the end; ultimately.
What language does "when all is said and done" come from?
"when all is said and done" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “when all is said and done”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is W-H-E-N- -A-L-L- -I-S- -S-A-I-D- -A-N-D- -D-O-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list