alas

/əˈlæs/

//əˈlæs// intj

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

"alas" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“alas” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,647. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,647
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used to express sorrow, regret, compassion, grief, resignation, or disappointment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-alas · alas · English

alas · rank #11,647 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,647
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH airborne

Nearest frequency peer: airborne (-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 “alas”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “alas” 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).

alas vs as
50% similar
alas vs all
50% similar
alas vs ass
50% similar

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

Key facts for alas
PropertyValue
Headwordalas
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/əˈlæs/
Letters4
Frequency rank#11,647
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “alas”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).alaslands 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 “airborne” (#11,646), “astonishing” (#11,648), “advent” (#11,645). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “alas” is #11,647. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around alas (IPA /əˈlæs/), aninterjection. Corpus frequency is #11,647 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Used to express sorrow, regret, compassion, grief, resignation, or disappointment.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for alas, with forms such as "aals", "alass", and "allas". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "as", "all", "ass", 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 alas, from Old French a las (French hélas), from a (“ah”) + las, from Latin lassus (“weary”). Compare Dutch helaas, North Frisian ielas, West Frisian eilaas. The correct English form is alas, spelled A-L-A-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used to express sorrow, regret, compassion, grief, resignation, or disappointment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I wanted to catch the last bus home, but alas, I was ten minutes late and had to take a taxi instead.
  2. Helas I lamente the dull abuſyd brayne The enfatuate fantaſies the wytles wylfulnes Of on and hothyr at me that haue dyſdayne

Etymology

From Middle English alas, from Old French a las (French hélas), from a (“ah”) + las, from Latin lassus (“weary”). Compare Dutch helaas, North Frisian ielas, West Frisian eilaas.

This word in other languages

ay(Español)hélas(Français)leider(Deutsch)guai(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aals
  • alass
  • allas
  • alsa
  • laas

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of alas - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aals2alass1allas1alsa2laas2
Edit distance from "alas"

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 "alas"?
"alas" is spelled A-L-A-S. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈlæs/.
What does "alas" mean?
As an interjection, "alas" means: Used to express sorrow, regret, compassion, grief, resignation, or disappointment.
What words are commonly confused with "alas"?
"alas" is commonly confused with "as", "all", "ass". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alas"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alas" is /əˈlæs/. 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 "alas"?
From Middle English alas, from Old French a las (French hélas), from a (“ah”) + las, from Latin lassus (“weary”). Compare Dutch helaas, North Frisian ielas, West Frisian eilaas. 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 "alas", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bart#11,652cite#11,666dell#11,677dent#11,678

Similar misspelling depth

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

dammit5 variantsdove5 variantsgala5 variantspike5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list