within reach

prep_phrase

"within-reach" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“within reach” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a prep_phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - At a distance close enough to touch by reaching.

Corpus desk

Index EN-within-reach · within reach · English

within reach · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "W" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for within reach
PropertyValue
Headwordwithin reach
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPrep_phrase
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “within reach” in English

within reachranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

within reach is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprep_phrase. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for within reach in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is within reach, spelled W-I-T-H-I-N- -R-E-A-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    At a distance close enough to touch by reaching.
  2. 2
    Near (to); close (to); at a close distance (to).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. We were within reach of the finish line.

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 "within reach"?
"within reach" is spelled W-I-T-H-I-N- -R-E-A-C-H.
What does "within reach" mean?
As a prep_phrase, "within reach" means: At a distance close enough to touch by reaching.
What language does "within reach" come from?
"within reach" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list