album

/ˈælbəm/

//ˈælbəm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“album” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,010 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,010
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In Ancient Rome, a white tablet or register on which the praetor's edicts and other public notices were recorded.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

album vs alm
60% similar
album vs alum
80% similar
album vs Alun
40% similar

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

Key facts for album
PropertyValue
Headwordalbum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈælbəm/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,010
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “album” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for album is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈælbəm/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,010 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for album, with forms such as "ablum", "albbum", and "albmu". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "alm", "alum", "Alun", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin album (“blank white writing tablet”), from albus (“white”). The correct English form is album, spelled A-L-B-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    In Ancient Rome, a white tablet or register on which the praetor's edicts and other public notices were recorded.
  2. 2
    A book specially designed to keep photographs, stamps, or autographs.
  3. 3
    A collection, especially of literary items.
  4. 4
    A phonograph record that is composed of several tracks.
  5. 5
    A jacket or cover for such a phonograph record.
  6. 6
    A group of audio recordings, on any medium, intended for distribution as a group.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin album (“blank white writing tablet”), from albus (“white”).

Synonyms

diskdiscLPlong-playing

This word in other languages

álbum(Español)album(Français)Album(Deutsch)álbum(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ablum,albbum,albmu,albumm,allbum,alubm,labum

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ablum2albbum1albmu2albumm1allbum1alubm2labum2
Edit distance from "album"

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 "album"?
"album" is spelled A-L-B-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈælbəm/.
What does "album" mean?
As a noun, "album" means: In Ancient Rome, a white tablet or register on which the praetor's edicts and other public notices were recorded.
What words are commonly confused with "album"?
"album" is commonly confused with "alm", "alum", "Alun". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "album"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "album" is /ˈælbəm/. 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 "album"?
Borrowed from Latin album (“blank white writing tablet”), from albus (“white”). 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.

Using “album”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-L-B-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈælbəm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “alm” - see the side-by-side comparison. album vs alm
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list