# Alaska

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /əˈlæs.kə/ · frequency rank #5,184

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

## 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).

## Easily confused with
- **Alyssa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alaska-vs-alyssa)
- **Alisha** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alaska-vs-alisha)
- **Alaskan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alaska-vs-alaskan)
- **alas** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alas-vs-alaska)
- **Alana** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alana-vs-alaska)

## Common misspellings (8)
`aalska`, `alaksa`, `alasak`, `alaskka`, `alasska`, `allaska`, `alsaka`, `laaska`

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