Atleast or at least – which one is correct?

Some phrases seem to be made of two words, but when you hear them, they sound just like one word. It may happen in any language, and personally, I guess French is the most demanding language here. However, this kind of one-word-or-more dilemmas appear in English too. Such is the case when you start to wonder how to spell atleast/at least. Is at least one or two words? Or is atleast one word? Which is the grammatically correct spelling? Plus, what is the at least/ atleast meaning? May it have just one, or several different meanings? The text below will answer these questions!

At least vs atleast – which form is correct?

At least is the only correct way of spelling the phrase. The atleast spelling is absolutely against any grammar rules. The correct version is a phrase (at + least), not just one word. Atleast is the incorrect spelling that isn’t mentioned anywhere in the English dictionary.

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What’s the meaning of the phrase at least?

At least has multiple meanings. We can understand at least as the minimum amount of something, a minimum number or the smallest amount of something. In some contexts, we can use at least to express our final thoughts. The phrase means then ‘in any case’ or ‘anyhow’, ‘despite problems’. Sometimes we use at least to reduce the effect of a statement, for example in a sentence like: “I have visited Paris once — at least I spent 5 hours on one of its airports.”

What’s the difference between atleast and at least?

The difference is that the two-word phrase combines the preposition “at” and the adverb or noun “least”. Atleast depicts at least as a single word, which is a mistake. At least makes sense as two words because we have to keep the preposition separate from least. Atleast doesn’t make sense at all.

At least – how to say it differently?

There are, of course, certain ways to replace the phrase at least. Let’s name at least some of them.

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At least it’s all clear now! At least in a sentence

Let’s see now how to use at least in context. Find some literary examples

‘If an optimist had his left arm chewed off by an alligator, he might say in a pleasant and hopeful voice, “Well this isn’t too bad, I don’t have a left arm anymore but at least nobody will ever ask me if I’m left-handed or right-handed,” but most of us would say something more along the lines of, “Aaaaaa! My arm! My arm!”‘

Lemony Snicket, Horseradish, 2007

‘Don’t ask for guarantees. And don’t look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were heading for shore.’

Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451, 1953

‘A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: 1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?’

George Orwell, Politics and the English Language, 1946

I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods, 1854

Yes, I feel certain we do, or at least did.

Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

Her mother was a journalist, at least in name.

Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere

And at least my family will be together now.

Sabaa Tahir, An Ember in the Ashes