ail

/eɪl/

//eɪl// verb

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

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

The verdict

“ail” is uncommon English (frequency #69,626 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,626
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cause to suffer; to trouble, afflict. (Now chiefly in interrogative or indefinite constructions.)

Corpus desk

Index EN-ail · ail · English

ail · rank #69,626 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #69,626
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH akka

Nearest frequency peer: akka (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “ail”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ail” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ail
PropertyValue
Headwordail
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/eɪl/
Letters3
Frequency rank#69,626
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ail” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “akka” (#69,627), “admissibility” (#69,623), “adenovirus” (#69,622). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “ail” is #69,626. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ail is uncommon English at frequency #69,626 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /eɪl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for ail, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English eilen, from Old English eġlan, eġlian (“to trouble, afflict”), from Proto-West Germanic *aglijan, from Proto-Germanic *aglijaną (“to trouble, vex”), cognate with Gothic 𐌰𐌲𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (agljan, “to distress”). The correct English form is ail, spelled A-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cause to suffer; to trouble, afflict. (Now chiefly in interrogative or indefinite constructions.)
  2. 2
    To be ill; to suffer; to be troubled.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Have some chicken soup. It's good for what ails you.
  2. What aileth thee, Hagar?

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English eilen, from Old English eġlan, eġlian (“to trouble, afflict”), from Proto-West Germanic *aglijan, from Proto-Germanic *aglijaną (“to trouble, vex”), cognate with Gothic 𐌰𐌲𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (agljan, “to distress”).

This word in other languages

aquejar(Español)manquer(Français)plagen(Deutsch)afligir(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 "ail"?
"ail" is spelled A-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /eɪl/.
What does "ail" mean?
As a verb, "ail" means: To cause to suffer; to trouble, afflict. (Now chiefly in interrogative or indefinite constructions.)
How do you pronounce "ail"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ail" is /eɪl/. 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 "ail"?
Inherited from Middle English eilen, from Old English eġlan, eġlian (“to trouble, afflict”), from Proto-West Germanic *aglijan, from Proto-Germanic *aglijaną (“to trouble, vex”), cognate with Gothic 𐌰𐌲𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (agljan, “to distress”). 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 "ail", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

xor#69,597ayu#69,657WSL#69,593woz#69,592

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list