A-level

noun

"a-level" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A non-compulsory examination taken in the final two years of secondary education as a requisite for university or other tertiary education; the qualification obtained by passing such an exam

Corpus desk

Index EN-a-level · A-level · English

A-level · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" 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 A-level
PropertyValue
HeadwordA-level
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “A-level” in English

A-levelranks 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

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

A-level doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Short for advanced level. The correct English form is A-level, spelled A---L-E-V-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A non-compulsory examination taken in the final two years of secondary education as a requisite for university or other tertiary education; the qualification obtained by passing such an exam
  2. 2
    Anal sex.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I took my A-levels last year.
  2. Applicants must have at least one A level.

Etymology

Short for advanced level.

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 "A-level"?
"A-level" is spelled A---L-E-V-E-L.
What does "A-level" mean?
As a noun, "A-level" means: A non-compulsory examination taken in the final two years of secondary education as a requisite for university or other tertiary education; the qualification obtained by passing such an exam
What is the origin of the word "A-level"?
Short for advanced level. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list