airline

/ˈɛəˌlaɪn/

//ˈɛəˌlaɪn// noun

"airline" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“airline” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,648 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,648
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A company that flies airplanes to transport people and goods.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

airline vs aline
71% similar
airline vs Arlene
57% similar
airline vs airtime
71% similar

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

Key facts for airline
PropertyValue
Headwordairline
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛəˌlaɪn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#6,648
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “airline” 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). airline lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for airline is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛəˌlaɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,648 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A company that flies airplanes to transport people and goods.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for airline, with forms such as "ailrine", "airilne", and "airlien". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "aline", "Arlene", "airtime", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From air + line. The correct English form is airline, spelled A-I-R-L-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A company that flies airplanes to transport people and goods.

Etymology

From air + line.

Synonyms

air carrierairwayairways

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ailrine,airilne,airlien,airlinne,airlline,airlnie,airrline,ariline,iarline

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of airline - 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.

ailrine2airilne2airlien2airlinne1airlline1airlnie2airrline1ariline2
Edit distance from "airline"

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 "airline"?
"airline" is spelled A-I-R-L-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛəˌlaɪn/.
What does "airline" mean?
As a noun, "airline" means: A company that flies airplanes to transport people and goods.
What words are commonly confused with "airline"?
"airline" is commonly confused with "aline", "Arlene", "airtime". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "airline"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "airline" is /ˈɛəˌlaɪn/. 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 "airline"?
From air + line. 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 “airline”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-I-R-L-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɛəˌlaɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “aline” - see the side-by-side comparison. airline vs aline
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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