alb

/ˈælb/

//ˈælb// noun

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

"alb" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“alb” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #45,776) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#45,776
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A long, white robe worn by priests and other ministers, underneath most of the other vestments.

Corpus desk

Index EN-alb · alb · English

alb · rank #45,776 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,776
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH alcove

Nearest frequency peer: alcove (+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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “alb”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “alb” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

alb vs as
33% similar
alb vs at
33% similar
alb vs an
33% similar

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

Key facts for alb
PropertyValue
Headwordalb
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈælb/
Letters3
Frequency rank#45,776
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “alb”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).alblands 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 “alcove” (#45,777), “Alger” (#45,778), “alrighty” (#45,779). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “alb” is #45,776. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for alb is neighbouring look-alikes ("as", "at", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈælb/. Frequency #45,776 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Gloss: "A long, white robe worn by priests and other ministers, underneath most of the other vestments.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for alb, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "as", "at", "an", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English aube, awbe, albe, abbe, from Late Old English albe (but later reinforced by Old French aube, Medieval Latin alba), borrowed from Latin alba (as in tunica alba (“white tunic”), vestis alba (“white garment”)), feminine of albus (“white”). … The correct English form is alb, spelled A-L-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A long, white robe worn by priests and other ministers, underneath most of the other vestments.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. ‘The confidence of the very rich,’ thought Father Carter watching Binkie shaking out albs and cottas and calling rather loudly to the organist.

Etymology

From Middle English aube, awbe, albe, abbe, from Late Old English albe (but later reinforced by Old French aube, Medieval Latin alba), borrowed from Latin alba (as in tunica alba (“white tunic”), vestis alba (“white garment”)), feminine of albus (“white”). Doublet of alba.

This word in other languages

alba(Español)aube(Français)Albe(Deutsch)

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 "alb"?
"alb" is spelled A-L-B. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈælb/.
What does "alb" mean?
As a noun, "alb" means: A long, white robe worn by priests and other ministers, underneath most of the other vestments.
What words are commonly confused with "alb"?
"alb" is commonly confused with "as", "at", "an". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alb"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alb" is /ˈælb/. 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 "alb"?
From Middle English aube, awbe, albe, abbe, from Late Old English albe (but later reinforced by Old French aube, Medieval Latin alba), borrowed from Latin alba (as in tunica alba (“white tunic”), vestis alba (“white garment”)), feminine of albus (... 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 "alb", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Aar#45,768BLE#45,811Tyr#45,720twp#45,718

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list