alcove

/ˈæl.kəʊv/

//ˈæl.kəʊv// noun

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

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

The verdict

“alcove” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,777. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,777
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small recessed area set off from a larger room.

Corpus desk

Index EN-alcove · alcove · English

alcove · rank #45,777 · 8 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,777
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH alb

Nearest frequency peer: alb (-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 “alcove”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “alcove” 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).

alcove vs aloe
67% similar
alcove vs alone
67% similar
alcove vs alive
67% similar

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

Key facts for alcove
PropertyValue
Headwordalcove
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæl.kəʊv/
Letters6
Frequency rank#45,777
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “alcove”

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).alcovelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “alb” (#45,776), “Alger” (#45,778), “alrighty” (#45,779). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “alcove” is #45,777. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around alcove (IPA /ˈæl.kəʊv/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,777 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for alcove, with forms such as "aclove", "alccove", and "alcoev". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "aloe", "alone", "alive", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French alcôve, from Spanish alcoba or Portuguese alcova, from Arabic القُبَّة (al-qubba, “vault, chamber with vaulted roof”). Doublet of qubba. The correct English form is alcove, spelled A-L-C-O-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small recessed area set off from a larger room.
  2. 2
    A shady retreat.
  3. 3
    The geographical and geological term for a steep-sided hollow in the side of an exposed rock face or cliff of a homogeneous rock type, that was water eroded.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It was very different from such bookstores as he had been accustomed to patronize. Two stories of the old house had been thrown into one: the lower space was divided into little alcoves; above, a gallery ran round the wall, which carried books to the ceiling.
  2. The house was situated in a leafy alcove.

Etymology

From French alcôve, from Spanish alcoba or Portuguese alcova, from Arabic القُبَّة (al-qubba, “vault, chamber with vaulted roof”). Doublet of qubba.

This word in other languages

hornacina(Español)alcôve(Français)Alkoven(Deutsch)alcova(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aclove
  • alccove
  • alcoev
  • alcovve
  • alcvoe
  • allcove
  • alocve
  • lacove

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aclove2alccove1alcoev2alcovve1alcvoe2allcove1alocve2lacove2
Edit distance from "alcove"

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 "alcove"?
"alcove" is spelled A-L-C-O-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæl.kəʊv/.
What does "alcove" mean?
As a noun, "alcove" means: A small recessed area set off from a larger room.
What words are commonly confused with "alcove"?
"alcove" is commonly confused with "aloe", "alone", "alive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alcove"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alcove" is /ˈæl.kəʊv/. 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 "alcove"?
From French alcôve, from Spanish alcoba or Portuguese alcova, from Arabic القُبَّة (al-qubba, “vault, chamber with vaulted roof”). Doublet of qubba. 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 "alcove", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

arcana#45,784Asimov#45,788Ateneo#45,795bandar#45,802

Similar misspelling depth

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

zillion8 variantswrest8 variantsWoolley8 variantsBeaton8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list