without

/wɪðˈaʊt/

//wɪðˈaʊt// adv

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

"without" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“without” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #193. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#193
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Outside, externally.

Corpus desk

Index EN-without · without · English

without · rank #193 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-CORE #193
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Mr

Nearest frequency peer: Mr (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “without”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “without” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

without vs wipeout
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for without
PropertyValue
Headwordwithout
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/wɪðˈaʊt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#193
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “without”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).withoutlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Mr” (#192), “against” (#194), “each” (#191). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “without” is #193. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around without (IPA /wɪðˈaʊt/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #193 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for without, with forms such as "iwthout", "wihtout", and "withhout". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "wipeout", 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 withoute, withouten, from Old English wiþūtan (literally “against the outside of”). Compare Dutch buiten (“outside of, without”), Danish uden (“without”), Swedish utan (“without”), Norwegian uten (“without”). By surface analysis, with- +… The correct English form is without, spelled W-I-T-H-O-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Outside, externally.
  2. 2
    Lacking something; failing.
  3. 3
    Without a condom being worn.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how without appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. And as each and all of them were warmed without by the sun, so each had a private little sun for her soul to bask in; some dream, some affection, some hobby, at least some remote and distant hope which, though perhaps starving to nothing, still lived on, as hopes will.
  2. Strange silence here: without, the sounding street Heralds the world's swift passage to the fire

Etymology

From Middle English withoute, withouten, from Old English wiþūtan (literally “against the outside of”). Compare Dutch buiten (“outside of, without”), Danish uden (“without”), Swedish utan (“without”), Norwegian uten (“without”). By surface analysis, with- + out. Superseded non-native Middle English sauns, sans (“without”), from Old French sans, sanz, senz (“without”). Compare typologically Proto-Slavic *bez (“without”) (<+ Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs (“out”)).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iwthout
  • wihtout
  • withhout
  • withotu
  • withoutt
  • withuot
  • witohut
  • witthout
  • wtihout
  • wwithout

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of without - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

iwthout2wihtout2withhout1withotu2withoutt1withuot2witohut2witthout1
Edit distance from "without"

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 "without"?
"without" is spelled W-I-T-H-O-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is /wɪðˈaʊt/.
What does "without" mean?
As an adverb, "without" means: Outside, externally.
What words are commonly confused with "without"?
"without" is commonly confused with "wipeout". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "without"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "without" is /wɪðˈaʊt/. 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 "without"?
From Middle English withoute, withouten, from Old English wiþūtan (literally “against the outside of”). Compare Dutch buiten (“outside of, without”), Danish uden (“without”), Swedish utan (“without”), Norwegian uten (“without”). By surface analysi... 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 "without", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

against#194another#176someone#213between#166

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

things10 variantshowever10 variantslooking10 variantsbusiness10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list