alibi
/ˈæl.ə.baɪ/
"alibi" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“alibi” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #25,274 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #25,274
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 13
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | alibi |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈæl.ə.baɪ/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #25,274 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 13 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “alibi” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for alibi is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈæl.ə.baɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #25,274 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for alibi, with forms such as "ailbi", "albii", and "alibbi". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "alive", "alien", "Alice", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the 18th century, from Latin alibī (“elsewhere, at another place”, adverb). Probably after French alibi, which has this use since the late 14th century. The correct English form is alibi, spelled A-L-I-B-I.
Definition
- 1The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed.
- 2An excuse, especially one used to avoid responsibility or blame.
Etymology
From the 18th century, from Latin alibī (“elsewhere, at another place”, adverb). Probably after French alibi, which has this use since the late 14th century.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ailbi,albii,alibbi,aliib,allibi,laibi
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of alibi - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “alibi”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-L-I-B-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈæl.ə.baɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “alive” - see the side-by-side comparison. alibi vs alive
- 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.