agile

/ˈæd͡ʒ.aɪl/

//ˈæd͡ʒ.aɪl// adj

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

"agile" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“agile” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,839. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,839
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having the faculty of quick motion in the limbs; apt or ready to move; loose-jointed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-agile · agile · English

agile · rank #16,839 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,839
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH adultery

Nearest frequency peer: adultery (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “agile”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “agile” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

agile vs ale
60% similar
agile vs AGL
0% similar
agile vs aide
60% similar

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

Key facts for agile
PropertyValue
Headwordagile
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈæd͡ʒ.aɪl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#16,839
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “agile”

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).agilelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “adultery” (#16,838), “aides” (#16,840), “abbas” (#16,837). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “agile” is #16,839. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around agile (IPA /ˈæd͡ʒ.aɪl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #16,839 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for agile, with forms such as "aggile", "agiel", and "agille". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ale", "AGL", "aide", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier agil, borrowed from Latin agilis (“agile, nimble”), from agō (“do, act; move”). See agent. The correct English form is agile, spelled A-G-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having the faculty of quick motion in the limbs; apt or ready to move; loose-jointed.
  2. 2
    Characterised by quick motion.
  3. 3
    Of or relating to agile software development, a technique for iterative and incremental development of software involving collaboration between teams.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. an agile creature
  2. an agile wit

Etymology

From earlier agil, borrowed from Latin agilis (“agile, nimble”), from agō (“do, act; move”). See agent.

Synonyms

activealertnimblebrisklivelyquick

Antonyms

unagile

This word in other languages

ágil(Español)agile(Français)behände(Deutsch)ágil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aggile
  • agiel
  • agille
  • aglie
  • aigle
  • gaile

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of agile - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aggile1agiel2agille1aglie2aigle2gaile2
Edit distance from "agile"

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 "agile"?
"agile" is spelled A-G-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæd͡ʒ.aɪl/.
What does "agile" mean?
As an adjective, "agile" means: Having the faculty of quick motion in the limbs; apt or ready to move; loose-jointed.
What words are commonly confused with "agile"?
"agile" is commonly confused with "ale", "AGL", "aide". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "agile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "agile" is /ˈæd͡ʒ.aɪl/. 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 "agile"?
From earlier agil, borrowed from Latin agilis (“agile, nimble”), from agō (“do, act; move”). See agent. 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 "agile", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

aides#16,840abbas#16,837Barca#16,847Wigan#16,829

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

yong6 variantscarve6 variantscrook6 variantsDuffy6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list