Algol

name

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

The verdict

“Algol” is uncommon English (frequency #89,087 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,087
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An eclipsing binary star in the constellation of Perseus; Beta (β) Persei. It represents the eye of Medusa, whose head is being held by Perseus.

Corpus desk

Index EN-algol · Algol · English

Algol · rank #89,087 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,087
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH albumen

Nearest frequency peer: albumen (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “Algol”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “Algol” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Algol
PropertyValue
HeadwordAlgol
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters5
Frequency rank#89,087
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Algol” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “albumen” (#89,086), “alliant” (#89,090), “allogeneic” (#89,091). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “Algol” is #89,087. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Algol is uncommon English at frequency #89,087 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as aproper noun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An eclipsing binary star in the constellation of Perseus; Beta (β) Persei. It represents the eye of Medusa, whose head is being held by Perseus.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Algol, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Arabic الْغُول (al-ḡūl, “the ghoul”). The correct English form is Algol, spelled A-L-G-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    An eclipsing binary star in the constellation of Perseus; Beta (β) Persei. It represents the eye of Medusa, whose head is being held by Perseus.

Etymology

From Arabic الْغُول (al-ḡūl, “the ghoul”).

This word in other languages

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 "Algol"?
"Algol" is spelled A-L-G-O-L.
What does "Algol" mean?
As a proper noun, "Algol" means: An eclipsing binary star in the constellation of Perseus; Beta (β) Persei. It represents the eye of Medusa, whose head is being held by Perseus.
What is the origin of the word "Algol"?
From Arabic الْغُول (al-ḡūl, “the ghoul”). 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 "Algol", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list