Alice

/ˈæl.ɪs/

//ˈæl.ɪs// name

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

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

The verdict

“Alice” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,572 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#4,572
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A female given name from the Germanic languages popular in England since the Middle Ages.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Alice vs aloe
40% similar
Alice vs ASIC
20% similar
Alice vs Arie
60% similar

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

Key facts for Alice
PropertyValue
HeadwordAlice
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈæl.ɪs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,572
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Alice” 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). Alice 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 Alice is 5 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈæl.ɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,572 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 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Alice, with forms such as "ailce", "alcie", and "alicce". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "aloe", "ASIC", "Arie", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English Alice, from Old French Alys, Alice, from Old High German Adalheid, proposed to derive from Proto-Germanic *aþalaz (“noble”) + *haiduz (“character”). Doublet of Adelaide. The correct English form is Alice, spelled A-L-I-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female given name from the Germanic languages popular in England since the Middle Ages.
  2. 2
    The person or system that sends a message to another person or system conventionally known as Bob.
  3. 3
    The city of Alice Springs, Australia.
  4. 4
    A locality in the Clarence Valley council area, north eastern New South Wales, Australia.
  5. 5
    A city in North Dakota.
  6. 6
    A city, the county seat of Jim Wells County, Texas.

Etymology

From Middle English Alice, from Old French Alys, Alice, from Old High German Adalheid, proposed to derive from Proto-Germanic *aþalaz (“noble”) + *haiduz (“character”). Doublet of Adelaide.

This word in other languages

Alicia(Español)Alice(Français)Alice(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ailce,alcie,alicce,aliec,allice,laice

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ailce2alcie2alicce1aliec2allice1laice2
Edit distance from "Alice"

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 "Alice"?
"Alice" is spelled A-L-I-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæl.ɪs/.
What does "Alice" mean?
As a proper noun, "Alice" means: A female given name from the Germanic languages popular in England since the Middle Ages.
What words are commonly confused with "Alice"?
"Alice" is commonly confused with "aloe", "ASIC", "Arie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Alice"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Alice" is /ˈæl.ɪs/. 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 "Alice"?
From Middle English Alice, from Old French Alys, Alice, from Old High German Adalheid, proposed to derive from Proto-Germanic *aþalaz (“noble”) + *haiduz (“character”). Doublet of Adelaide. 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 “Alice”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-L-I-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈæl.ɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “aloe” - see the side-by-side comparison. Alice vs aloe
  • 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