Backround or Background: Which Spelling Is Correct?

Is it background or backround? If you’re not sure of the correct spelling, you’re not the only one. The English language contains many words that are regularly misspelled.

So which word is right? The correct spelling is background, with a G before the R.

Read on to find out how to use this word correctly and remember the right spelling.

Is It Backround or Background?

Background and backround sound very similar phonetically, which explains why this word is often misspelled.

But while many people accidentally write backround, this is not a proper word in English. Incorrect spellings like this can make your writing appear unprofessional and difficult to understand.

There’s only one correct spelling of background—with a G.

What About Back Round?

The phrase back round is not a correct alternative spelling of background and its meaning is unrelated.

Instead, back round may be used as an informal abbreviation of the phrase back around. For example:

• I’ll come back round to your house tonight.

If you are writing a formal piece, perhaps for a business or academic audience, ProWritingAid will suggest that you change the informal expression back round to the more formal and correct expression back around.

What Does Background Mean?

Background is a noun that refers to the setting or context of something.

It can mean part of a scene or view that acts as a backdrop for an object or event. For example:

• The dramatic mountains were the perfect background for a picnic.

Alternatively, it can refer to social circumstances or the wider context at a particular point in time. For example:

• Peace talks took place against a background of continued social unrest.

Examples of Background in Sentences

Here are some examples of the word background from popular works of literature:

“That was the thing about death. Only the specifics of it hurt. Death, in a general sense, was background noise. She stood in the silence of it.”―Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half

“Willem’s face and neck dominate the canvas and although the background is suggested rather than shown, he knows that Willem is at their table.”―Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life

“The shape of my life is, of course, determined by many things; my background and childhood, my mind and its education, my conscience and its pressures, my heart and its desires.”―Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea

“Unseen in the background, Fate was quietly slipping lead into the boxing-glove.”―P.G. Wodehouse, Very Good, Jeeves!

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.”―Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom

Tips for Spelling Background (Not Backround)

A useful way to remember the correct spelling of background is to break it down into two words: back and ground.

Background refers to a kind of grounding. To master the correct spelling, you need to remember this definition, which will remind you that the second part of the word is ground, not round.

Armed with these tips, your writing will be error-free in no time!

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