withal

/wɪˈðɔːl/

//wɪˈðɔːl// adv

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

"withal" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“withal” is uncommon English (frequency #78,281 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,281
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Together with the rest; besides; in addition.

Corpus desk

Index EN-withal · withal · English

withal · rank #78,281 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,281
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH woofer

Nearest frequency peer: woofer (+3 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 “withal”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for withal
PropertyValue
Headwordwithal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/wɪˈðɔːl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#78,281
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “withal” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).withalfalls 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: “woofer” (#78,284), “worrier” (#78,285), “whitespace” (#78,275). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “withal” is #78,281. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

withal is uncommon English at frequency #78,281 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /wɪˈðɔːl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

withal has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *wí The adverb is derived from Middle English withal, with-al, withalle (“against, in opposition to; in association with, together with; by means of”), from with (“against; close to, near; directly opposite to; in the company of, together with; on… The correct English form is withal, spelled W-I-T-H-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Together with the rest; besides; in addition.
  2. 2
    All things considered; nevertheless.
  3. 3
    Synonym of therewith (“with this, that, or those”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [T]hey not onely damne [William] Tyndals tranſlacion [of the Bible], (wherein ther is good cauſe) but ouer that doe damne al other, and as though a ley manne wer no chritſen manne, wyll ſuffer no leye manne haue any at all. But whan they fynde any in his keping, they laye hereſye to hym therefore. And thereupon they burne vp the booke, and ſometime the go…
  2. Loue he ſaied to be the occupacion or buſineſſe of idle folkes, that had nothinge els to ſet them ſelues on werke withall.

Etymology

PIE word *wí The adverb is derived from Middle English withal, with-al, withalle (“against, in opposition to; in association with, together with; by means of”), from with (“against; close to, near; directly opposite to; in the company of, together with; on, upon; within; etc.”, preposition) + al (“total number in a group, all, everyone, everything”). The word displaced Old English mid ealle. The postposition is derived from the adverb.

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 "withal"?
"withal" is spelled W-I-T-H-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /wɪˈðɔːl/.
What does "withal" mean?
As an adverb, "withal" means: Together with the rest; besides; in addition.
How do you pronounce "withal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "withal" is /wɪˈðɔːl/. 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 "withal"?
PIE word *wí The adverb is derived from Middle English withal, with-al, withalle (“against, in opposition to; in association with, together with; by means of”), from with (“against; close to, near; directly opposite to; in the company of, togethe... 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 "withal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

woofer#78,284whiner#78,274Yoichi#78,299Vijaya#78,259

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list