acoustic

/əˈkuː.stɪk/

//əˈkuː.stɪk// adj

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

"acoustic" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“acoustic” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,308. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,308
frequency rank, English
35,202
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pertaining to the sense of hearing, the organs of hearing, or the science of sounds.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

acoustic vs acoustics
89% similar
acoustic vs acoustical
80% similar

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

Key facts for acoustic
PropertyValue
Headwordacoustic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈkuː.stɪk/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,308
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “acoustic” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). acoustic lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around acoustic (IPA /əˈkuː.stɪk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #7,308 among 35,202 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for acoustic, with forms such as "accoustic", "acosutic", and "acousitc". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "acoustics", "acoustical", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Medieval Latin acousticus, acūsticus, from Ancient Greek ἀκουστῐκός (akoustĭkós, “of or for hearing”), from ἀκούω (akoúō, “to hear”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, adjectival suffix). The correct English form is acoustic, spelled A-C-O-U-S-T-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pertaining to the sense of hearing, the organs of hearing, or the science of sounds.
  2. 2
    Pertaining to the sense of hearing, the organs of hearing, or the science of sounds.
  3. 3
    Pertaining to the sense of hearing, the organs of hearing, or the science of sounds.
  4. 4
    Naturally producing or produced by an instrument without electrical amplification or the need thereof.
  5. 5
    Nonelectric; mechanical or otherwise basic.

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin acousticus, acūsticus, from Ancient Greek ἀκουστῐκός (akoustĭkós, “of or for hearing”), from ἀκούω (akoúō, “to hear”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, adjectival suffix).

This word in other languages

acústico(Español)acoustique(Français)akustisch(Deutsch)acústico(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • accoustic
  • acosutic
  • acousitc
  • acousstic
  • acoustci
  • acousticc
  • acousttic
  • acoutsic
  • acuostic
  • aocustic
  • caoustic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of acoustic - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

accoustic1acosutic2acousitc2acousstic1acoustci2acousticc1acousttic1acoutsic2
Edit distance from "acoustic"

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 "acoustic"?
"acoustic" is spelled A-C-O-U-S-T-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkuː.stɪk/.
What does "acoustic" mean?
As an adjective, "acoustic" means: Pertaining to the sense of hearing, the organs of hearing, or the science of sounds.
What words are commonly confused with "acoustic"?
"acoustic" is commonly confused with "acoustics", "acoustical". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "acoustic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "acoustic" is /əˈkuː.stɪk/. 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 "acoustic"?
Borrowed from Medieval Latin acousticus, acūsticus, from Ancient Greek ἀκουστῐκός (akoustĭkós, “of or for hearing”), from ἀκούω (akoúō, “to hear”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, adjectival suffix). 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.

Using “acoustic”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-C-O-U-S-T-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈkuː.stɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “acoustics” - see the side-by-side comparison. acoustic vs acoustics
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list