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algebra

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

7 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "algebra", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "algebra" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "algebra" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

algebra is aEnglishnoun. It means: Elementary algebra: A system for representing and manipulating unknown quantities (variables) in equations. Pronounced /ˈæl.dʒɪ.bɹə/. It ranks #9,994 in English word frequency. Often confused with Alger and Algeria.

Key facts for algebra
PropertyValue
Headwordalgebra
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæl.dʒɪ.bɹə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,994
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of algebra in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for algebra is 7 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈæl.dʒɪ.bɹə/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,994 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 10 documented wrong-spelling variants for algebra, with forms such as "aglebra", "alegbra", and "algbera". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Alger", "Algeria", "Allegra", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Arabic جَبَرَ (jabara) Arabic الْجَبْر (al-jabr)bor. Medieval Latin algebrabor. English algebra Borrowed from Medieval Latin algebra, from the Arabic الْجَبْر (al-jabr, “reunion, resetting of broken parts”) in the title of al-Khwarizmi's infl… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is algebra, spelled A-L-G-E-B-R-A, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Elementary algebra: A system for representing and manipulating unknown quantities (variables) in equations.
  2. 2
    Abstract algebra: A broad field of study in modern mathematics (often mentioned alongside analysis) loosely characterized by its concern for abstraction and symmetry, dealing with the behavior, classification, and application of a large class of objects (called algebraic structures) and the maps between them (called, most generally, morphisms).
  3. 3
    Any of several objects of study in Algebra
  4. 4
    Any of several objects of study in Algebra
  5. 5
    A collection of subsets of a given set, such that this collection contains the empty set, and the collection is closed under unions and complements (and thereby also under intersections and differences).
  6. 6
    A system or process (especially one that is complex or convoluted) that substitutes one thing for another, or uses signs or symbols to represent concepts or ideas.
  7. 7
    The surgical treatment of a dislocated or fractured bone. Also (countable): a dislocation or fracture.

Etymology

Etymology tree Arabic جَبَرَ (jabara) Arabic الْجَبْر (al-jabr)bor. Medieval Latin algebrabor. English algebra Borrowed from Medieval Latin algebra, from the Arabic الْجَبْر (al-jabr, “reunion, resetting of broken parts”) in the title of al-Khwarizmi's influential work الْكِتَاب الْمُخْتَصَر فِي حِسَاب الْجَبْر وَالْمُقَابَلَة (al-kitāb al-muḵtaṣar fī ḥisāb al-jabr wa-l-muqābala, “The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aglebra,alegbra,algbera,algebar,algebbra,algebrra,algerba,alggebra,allgebra,lagebra

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for algebra

Misspelling Variants of "algebra"

aglebra7alegbra7algbera7algebar7algebbra8algebrra8algerba7alggebra8
Misspelling Variants of "algebra"

Frequency rank: #9,994 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "algebra"?
"algebra" is spelled A-L-G-E-B-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæl.dʒɪ.bɹə/.
What does "algebra" mean?
As a noun, "algebra" means: Elementary algebra: A system for representing and manipulating unknown quantities (variables) in equations.
What words are commonly confused with "algebra"?
"algebra" is commonly confused with "Alger", "Algeria", "Allegra". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "algebra"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "algebra" is /ˈæl.dʒɪ.bɹə/. 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 "algebra"?
Etymology tree Arabic جَبَرَ (jabara) Arabic الْجَبْر (al-jabr)bor. Medieval Latin algebrabor. English algebra Borrowed from Medieval Latin algebra, from the Arabic الْجَبْر (al-jabr, “reunion, resetting of broken parts”) in the title of al-Khwari... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter A in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.