Alaska

/əˈlæs.kə/

//əˈlæs.kə// name

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

"alaska" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Alaska” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,184. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,184
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A state of the United States, formerly a territory. Capital: Juneau. Largest city: Anchorage. Postal code: AK.

Corpus desk

Index EN-alaska · Alaska · English

Alaska · rank #5,184 · 8 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,184
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH adopt

Nearest frequency peer: adopt (-2 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 “Alaska”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Alaska” 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).

Alaska vs Alyssa
67% similar
Alaska vs Alisha
67% similar
Alaska vs Alaskan
86% similar

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

Key facts for Alaska
PropertyValue
HeadwordAlaska
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/əˈlæs.kə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#5,184
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Alaska”

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).Alaskalands 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 “adopt” (#5,182), “yoga” (#5,181), “anytime” (#5,187). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “Alaska” is #5,184. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around Alaska (IPA /əˈlæs.kə/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #5,184 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for Alaska, with forms such as "aalska", "alaksa", and "alasak". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Alyssa", "Alisha", "Alaskan", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Russian Аля́ска (Aljáska, “Alaska”), in turn from Aleut alaxsxaq (“a mainland”, literally “that toward which the action of the sea is directed”), composed of alag (“pertaining to the sea”) + -sxa (nominalizing suffix, yields 'the objective of action ex… The correct English form is Alaska, spelled A-L-A-S-K-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A state of the United States, formerly a territory. Capital: Juneau. Largest city: Anchorage. Postal code: AK.
  2. 2
    A peninsula in southwest Alaska, United States, in full the Alaska Peninsula.
  3. 3
    Several places in the United States, named for the state or territory.
  4. 4
    Several places in the United States, named for the state or territory.
  5. 5
    Several places in the United States, named for the state or territory.
  6. 6
    Several places in the United States, named for the state or territory.
  7. 7
    Several places in the United States, named for the state or territory.
  8. 8
    Several places in the United States, named for the state or territory.
  9. 9
    Several places in the United States, named for the state or territory.
  10. 10
    A barangay of Aringay, La Union, Philippines.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We have no available sources of information concerning the vegetation northward of the peninsula of Alaska from Bristol Bay, in 58°, to the mouth of the Kwichpak, in latitude 63°.
  2. Alaska was discovered about a century ago by Russian furhunters[.]

Etymology

From Russian Аля́ска (Aljáska, “Alaska”), in turn from Aleut alaxsxaq (“a mainland”, literally “that toward which the action of the sea is directed”), composed of alag (“pertaining to the sea”) + -sxa (nominalizing suffix, yields 'the objective of action expressed by the root') + -q (nominalizing suffix). Commonly misattributed to Russian ала (ala) + -ский (-skij, adjectival suffix).

This word in other languages

Alaska(Español)Alaska(Français)Alaska(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aalska
  • alaksa
  • alasak
  • alaskka
  • alasska
  • allaska
  • alsaka
  • laaska

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aalska2alaksa2alasak2alaskka1alasska1allaska1alsaka2laaska2
Edit distance from "Alaska"

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 "Alaska"?
"Alaska" is spelled A-L-A-S-K-A. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈlæs.kə/.
What does "Alaska" mean?
As a proper noun, "Alaska" means: A state of the United States, formerly a territory. Capital: Juneau. Largest city: Anchorage. Postal code: AK.
What words are commonly confused with "Alaska"?
"Alaska" is commonly confused with "Alyssa", "Alisha", "Alaskan". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Alaska"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Alaska" is /əˈlæs.kə/. 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 "Alaska"?
From Russian Аля́ска (Aljáska, “Alaska”), in turn from Aleut alaxsxaq (“a mainland”, literally “that toward which the action of the sea is directed”), composed of alag (“pertaining to the sea”) + -sxa (nominalizing suffix, yields 'the objective of... 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 "Alaska", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

wright#5,180beings#5,189beside#5,190trucks#5,171

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Bucks8 variantscamps8 variantsdealer8 variantsdeemed8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list