How to spell about

hear ita·bout/ə'baʊt/prepositionSounds

What it means: Concerning or on the subject of.

In a sentence: Can you tell me about your favorite animal?

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as abut or abbout.

Same family: around, approximately, concerning, regarding. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “About” comes from Old English “onbūtan” or “abūtan,” meaning ‘on the outside of’ or ‘around.’ Over time, its meaning expanded so much that it became one of the most common and flexible words in modern English.

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa)

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

would · through · countries · america · because · into · whole · should

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