aisle

/aɪ̯l/

//aɪ̯l// noun

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

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

The verdict

“aisle” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,804. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,804
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A wing of a building, notably in a church separated from the nave proper by piers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-aisle · aisle · English

aisle · rank #10,804 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,804
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH almighty

Nearest frequency peer: almighty (+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 “aisle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “aisle” 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).

aisle vs ale
60% similar
aisle vs ASL
0% similar
aisle vs arse
60% similar

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

Key facts for aisle
PropertyValue
Headwordaisle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/aɪ̯l/
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,804
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “aisle”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “almighty” (#10,805), “admired” (#10,802), “amino” (#10,806). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “aisle” is #10,804. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around aisle (IPA /aɪ̯l/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,804 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for aisle, with forms such as "ailse", "aisel", and "aislle". 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", "ASL", "arse", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ele, from Middle French aisle (“wing”) (Modern French aile), from Latin āla (whence English ala). Further from Latin axis (whence English axis, atelier). Via Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱs- cognate with English axle, Ancient Greek ἄξων (áxōn… The correct English form is aisle, spelled A-I-S-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A wing of a building, notably in a church separated from the nave proper by piers.
  2. 2
    A clear path/passage through rows of seating.
  3. 3
    A clear corridor in a supermarket with shelves on both sides containing goods for sale.
  4. 4
    Any path through an otherwise obstructed space.
  5. 5
    Seat in public transport, such as a plane, train or bus, that's beside the aisle.
  6. 6
    An idiomatic divide between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, who are said to be on two sides of the aisle.
  7. 7
    The path of a wedding procession in a church or other venue; (by extension, metonymic) marriage.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Hester Earle and Violet Wayne were moving about the aisle with bundles of wheat-ears and streamers of ivy, for the harvest thanksgiving was shortly to be celebrated, while the vicar stood waiting for their directions on the chancel steps with a great handful of crimson gladioli.
  2. In one of the aisles there was an elaborately carved confessional box and I recognised the village priest in his heavy mountain boots and black cassock as he entered it and drew the dark velvet curtains behind him.

Etymology

From Middle English ele, from Middle French aisle (“wing”) (Modern French aile), from Latin āla (whence English ala). Further from Latin axis (whence English axis, atelier). Via Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱs- cognate with English axle, Ancient Greek ἄξων (áxōn) (whence English axo-, axon).

Synonyms

isleaisle seat

Antonyms

windowwindow seat

This word in other languages

nave(Español)allée(Français)Seitenschiff(Deutsch)nave(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ailse
  • aisel
  • aislle
  • aissle
  • asile
  • iasle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ailse2aisel2aislle1aissle1asile2iasle2
Edit distance from "aisle"

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 "aisle"?
"aisle" is spelled A-I-S-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /aɪ̯l/.
What does "aisle" mean?
As a noun, "aisle" means: A wing of a building, notably in a church separated from the nave proper by piers.
What words are commonly confused with "aisle"?
"aisle" is commonly confused with "ale", "ASL", "arse". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "aisle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aisle" is /aɪ̯l/. 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 "aisle"?
From Middle English ele, from Middle French aisle (“wing”) (Modern French aile), from Latin āla (whence English ala). Further from Latin axis (whence English axis, atelier). Via Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱs- cognate with English axle, Ancient Greek ... 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 "aisle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

amino#10,806bleed#10,818brace#10,820choke#10,824

Similar misspelling depth

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

troll6 variantsHaiti6 variantshulk6 variantspact6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list