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aeroplane

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

9 characters

Language

English

word origin

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "aeroplane", 9-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "aeroplane" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "aeroplane" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

aeroplane is aEnglishnoun. It means: Synonym of airplane. A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings. Pronounced [ˈɛə̯.ɹə.pleɪ̯n]. Often confused with airplane and aeroplanes.

Key facts for aeroplane
PropertyValue
Headwordaeroplane
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈɛə̯.ɹə.pleɪ̯n]
Letters9
Frequency rank#22,882
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of aeroplane in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for aeroplane is 9 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈɛə̯.ɹə.pleɪ̯n]. Corpus data places it at rank #22,882 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 12 documented wrong-spelling variants for aeroplane, with forms such as "aeorplane", "aerolpane", and "aeropalne". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "airplane", "aeroplanes", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér Proto-Hellenic *auhḗr Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr) Ancient Greek πλανάω (planáō) Ancient Greek πλάνος (plános) Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ερόπλᾰνος (āeróplănos)der. French aéroplanebor. English aeropl… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is aeroplane, spelled A-E-R-O-P-L-A-N-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Synonym of airplane. A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings.
  2. 2
    Synonym of airfoil. An aerodynamic surface.
  3. 3
    Any of various nymphalid butterflies, of various genera, having a slow gliding flight. Also called planes.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér Proto-Hellenic *auhḗr Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr) Ancient Greek πλανάω (planáō) Ancient Greek πλάνος (plános) Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ερόπλᾰνος (āeróplănos)der. French aéroplanebor. English aeroplane Borrowed from French aéroplane, from Ancient Greek ἀερόπλανος (aeróplanos, “wandering in air”), from ἀήρ (aḗr, “air”) + πλάνος (plános, “wandering”). First used by Joseph Pline in an 1855 patent.https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Aircraft_Design/NeHoahlhCGMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Joseph+Pline+glider&pg=PA3&printsec=frontcover;https://books.google.at/books?id=fSQUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA768&dq=Joseph+Pline+brevet+1855&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjgk5Cz_a_wAhXZhf0HHdjNAJwQ6AEwAnoECAIQAg#v=onepage&q=Joseph%20Pline%20brevet%201855&f=false

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aeorplane,aerolpane,aeropalne,aeroplaen,aeroplanne,aeropllane,aeroplnae,aeropplane,aerpolane,aerroplane,areoplane,earoplane

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for aeroplane

Misspelling Variants of "aeroplane"

aeorplane9aerolpane9aeropalne9aeroplaen9aeroplanne10aeropllane10aeroplnae9aeropplane10
Misspelling Variants of "aeroplane"

Frequency rank: #22,882 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "aeroplane"?
"aeroplane" is spelled A-E-R-O-P-L-A-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈɛə̯.ɹə.pleɪ̯n].
What does "aeroplane" mean?
As a noun, "aeroplane" means: Synonym of airplane. A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings.
What words are commonly confused with "aeroplane"?
"aeroplane" is commonly confused with "airplane", "aeroplanes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "aeroplane"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aeroplane" is [ˈɛə̯.ɹə.pleɪ̯n]. 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 "aeroplane"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér Proto-Hellenic *auhḗr Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr) Ancient Greek πλανάω (planáō) Ancient Greek πλάνος (plános) Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ερόπλᾰνος (āeróplănos)der. French aéroplanebor. Engl... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter A in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.