airstrip

/ˈɛə(ɹ)stɹɪp/

//ˈɛə(ɹ)stɹɪp// noun

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

"airstrip" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“airstrip” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,423. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,423
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An aircraft landing field, usually with one runway and only basic facilities.

Corpus desk

Index EN-airstrip · airstrip · English

airstrip · rank #36,423 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,423
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH agate

Nearest frequency peer: agate (-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 “airstrip”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “airstrip” 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).

airstrip vs airship
75% similar
airstrip vs airstrike
78% similar

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

Key facts for airstrip
PropertyValue
Headwordairstrip
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛə(ɹ)stɹɪp/
Letters8
Frequency rank#36,423
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “airstrip”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “agate” (#36,422), “Afrikaans” (#36,421), “alkyl” (#36,425). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “airstrip” is #36,423. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around airstrip (IPA /ˈɛə(ɹ)stɹɪp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,423 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An aircraft landing field, usually with one runway and only basic facilities.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for airstrip, with forms such as "airrstrip", "airsrtip", and "airsstrip". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "airship", "airstrike", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From air + strip. The correct English form is airstrip, spelled A-I-R-S-T-R-I-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    An aircraft landing field, usually with one runway and only basic facilities.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The outfitter deposited us at a small airstrip out in the bush, promising to pick us up again in a week's time.

Etymology

From air + strip.

This word in other languages

piste d’atterrissage(Français)Landepiste(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • airrstrip
  • airsrtip
  • airsstrip
  • airstirp
  • airstripp
  • airstrpi
  • airstrrip
  • airsttrip
  • airtsrip
  • aisrtrip
  • aristrip
  • iarstrip

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

airrstrip1airsrtip2airsstrip1airstirp2airstripp1airstrpi2airstrrip1airsttrip1
Edit distance from "airstrip"

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 "airstrip"?
"airstrip" is spelled A-I-R-S-T-R-I-P. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛə(ɹ)stɹɪp/.
What does "airstrip" mean?
As a noun, "airstrip" means: An aircraft landing field, usually with one runway and only basic facilities.
What words are commonly confused with "airstrip"?
"airstrip" is commonly confused with "airship", "airstrike". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "airstrip"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "airstrip" is /ˈɛə(ɹ)stɹɪp/. 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 "airstrip"?
From air + strip. 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 "airstrip", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

archduke#36,433avionics#36,443beholden#36,451Whitmore#36,395

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

beholder12 variantsBrandeis12 variantsbubblegum12 variantscatwoman12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list