alien

/ˈeɪ.li.ən/

//ˈeɪ.li.ən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“alien” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,347. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,347
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person, animal, plant, or other thing which is from outside the family, group, organization, or territory under consideration.

Corpus desk

Index EN-alien · alien · English

alien · rank #4,347 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,347
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH accounting

Nearest frequency peer: accounting (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “alien”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “alien” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

alien vs amen
60% similar
alien vs amin
60% similar
alien vs aloe
60% similar

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

Key facts for alien
PropertyValue
Headwordalien
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈeɪ.li.ən/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,347
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “alien” 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).alien lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around alien (IPA /ˈeɪ.li.ən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,347 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for alien, with forms such as "ailen", "alein", and "alienn". 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, "amen", "amin", "aloe", 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 Middle English alien, a borrowing from Old French alien, aliene, from Latin aliēnus (“belonging to someone else”, later “exotic, foreign”), from Latin alius (“other”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos. Related to English else. The correct English form is alien, spelled A-L-I-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person, animal, plant, or other thing which is from outside the family, group, organization, or territory under consideration.
  2. 2
    A citizen or national of another sovereign state.
  3. 3
    A mischievous or suspicious foreigner.
  4. 4
    Any life form of extraterrestrial or extradimensional origin.
  5. 5
    One excluded from certain privileges; one alienated or estranged.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. An animated film intended to inform travellers about the dangers that alien species present to Arctic ecosystems is being released today. The message is that it is important to ensure that nobody accidentally brings alien species with them as stowaways in their clothing, baggage or equipment.
  2. An alien born may purchase lands, or other estates: but not for his own use; for the king is thereupon entitled to them.

Etymology

From Middle English alien, a borrowing from Old French alien, aliene, from Latin aliēnus (“belonging to someone else”, later “exotic, foreign”), from Latin alius (“other”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos. Related to English else.

Synonyms

fremdgueststrangeroutlanderforeigner

This word in other languages

desconocido(Español)étranger(Français)Fremdling(Deutsch)estrangeiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ailen
  • alein
  • alienn
  • allien
  • laien

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ailen2alein2alienn1allien1laien2
Edit distance from "alien"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "alien"?
"alien" is spelled A-L-I-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈeɪ.li.ən/.
What does "alien" mean?
As a noun, "alien" means: A person, animal, plant, or other thing which is from outside the family, group, organization, or territory under consideration.
What words are commonly confused with "alien"?
"alien" is commonly confused with "amen", "amin", "aloe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alien"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alien" is /ˈeɪ.li.ən/. 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 "alien"?
From Middle English alien, a borrowing from Old French alien, aliene, from Latin aliēnus (“belonging to someone else”, later “exotic, foreign”), from Latin alius (“other”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos. Related to English else. 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 "alien", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

beast#4,350candy#4,352tiger#4,340cited#4,357

Similar misspelling depth

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

beef5 variantsfool5 variantsLisa5 variantscape5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "alien". Here's where to go from here.

  • "alien" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "amen". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #4,347 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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