# airplane

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɛəˌpleɪ̯n/ · frequency rank #8,004

## Definitions
1. A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings.
2. A game to encourage small children to eat, in which the parent or carer pretends a spoonful of food is an aircraft flying into the child's mouth.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews-
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér
Proto-Hellenic *auhḗr
Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)bor.
Latin āēr
Old French airbor.
Middle English aire
English air
▲
Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)
Ancient Greek πλανάω (planáō)
Ancient Greek πλάνος (plános)
Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ερόπλᾰνος (āeróplănos)der.
French aéroplanebor.
English aeroplaneclip.
English plane
English airplane
From air + plane as an alteration of aeroplane.

## Easily confused with
- **airplay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/airplane-vs-airplay)
- **airline** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/airline-vs-airplane)
- **aeroplane** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aeroplane-vs-airplane)

## Common misspellings (11)
`aiprlane`, `airlpane`, `airpalne`, `airplaen`, `airplanne`, `airpllane`, `airplnae`, `airpplane`, `airrplane`, `ariplane`, `iarplane`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/airplane