ace

/eɪs/

//eɪs// noun

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

"ace" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ace” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #5,930) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#5,930
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A playing card showing a single pip, typically the highest or lowest ranking card in a game.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ace · ace · English

ace · rank #5,930 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,930
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH adjusted

Nearest frequency peer: adjusted (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “ace”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “ace” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

ace vs as
33% similar
ace vs at
33% similar
ace vs an
33% similar

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

Key facts for ace
PropertyValue
Headwordace
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/eɪs/
Letters3
Frequency rank#5,930
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ace” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).acelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “adjusted” (#5,931), “xi” (#5,928), “alternate” (#5,932). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for ace is neighbouring look-alikes ("as", "at", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /eɪs/. Frequency #5,930 among 3,931 “A” headwords. 15 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

ace has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "as", "at", "an", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English as, from Old French as, from Latin as, assis (“unity, copper coin, the unit of coinage”), probably borrowed from Etruscan. Doublet of as. Likely related or deriving ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs, or otherwise taki… The correct English form is ace, spelled A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A playing card showing a single pip, typically the highest or lowest ranking card in a game.
  2. 2
    A die face marked with a single dot, typically representing the number one.
  3. 3
    The ball marked with the number 1 in pool and related games.
  4. 4
    A dollar bill.
  5. 5
    A very small quantity or degree; a particle; an atom; a jot.
  6. 6
    A serve won without the opponent hitting the ball.
  7. 7
    A point won by a single stroke, as in handball, rackets, etc.
  8. 8
    The best pitcher on the team.
  9. 9
    A run.
  10. 10
    A hole in one.
  11. 11
    An expert at something; a maverick, genius; a person of supreme talent.
  12. 12
    A military aircraft pilot who is credited with shooting down many enemy aircraft, typically five or more.
  13. 13
    A perfect score on a school exam.
  14. 14
    Any of various hesperiid butterflies.
  15. 15
    A quark.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. You see, Sir, when I look at the Ace it reminds me that there is but one God. The deuce reminds me that the bible is divided into two parts; the Old and New Testaments. And when I see the trey I think of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
  2. Ace in the corner.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English as, from Old French as, from Latin as, assis (“unity, copper coin, the unit of coinage”), probably borrowed from Etruscan. Doublet of as. Likely related or deriving ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs, or otherwise taking from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed”) in the sense of "singular".

This word in other languages

as(Español)as(Français)Ass(Deutsch)ás(Português)

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 "ace"?
"ace" is spelled A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /eɪs/.
What does "ace" mean?
As a noun, "ace" means: A playing card showing a single pip, typically the highest or lowest ranking card in a game.
What words are commonly confused with "ace"?
"ace" is commonly confused with "as", "at", "an". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ace"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ace" is /eɪs/. 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 "ace"?
Inherited from Middle English as, from Old French as, from Latin as, assis (“unity, copper coin, the unit of coinage”), probably borrowed from Etruscan. Doublet of as. Likely related or deriving ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs, or othe... 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 "ace", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

rev#5,912rap#5,907est#5,962hmm#5,972

What to do next

You've looked up "ace". Here's where to go from here.

  • "ace" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "as". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #5,930 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list