aliyah

/əliːˈjɑː/

//əliːˈjɑː// noun

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

"aliyah" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“aliyah” is uncommon English (frequency #59,179 among 35,202 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,179
frequency rank, English
35,202
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The calling up of someone to the bimah for the reading of the Torah.

Key facts for aliyah
PropertyValue
Headwordaliyah
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əliːˈjɑː/
Letters6
Frequency rank#59,179
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “aliyah” 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). aliyah lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

aliyah is uncommon English at frequency #59,179 among 35,202 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /əliːˈjɑː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for aliyah in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Hebrew עלייה / עֲלִיָּה (aliyá, “ascent”). The correct English form is aliyah, spelled A-L-I-Y-A-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    The calling up of someone to the bimah for the reading of the Torah.
  2. 2
    A subsection of a parashah (weekly Torah reading) read by (or on behalf of) one person.
  3. 3
    The immigration of Jews to Israel.
  4. 4
    One of the major waves of immigration of Jews to Israel.

Etymology

From Hebrew עלייה / עֲלִיָּה (aliyá, “ascent”).

Antonyms

yeridayeridah

This word in other languages

aliá(Español)alya(Français)Alija(Deutsch)

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 "aliyah"?
"aliyah" is spelled A-L-I-Y-A-H. The IPA pronunciation is /əliːˈjɑː/.
What does "aliyah" mean?
As a noun, "aliyah" means: The calling up of someone to the bimah for the reading of the Torah.
How do you pronounce "aliyah"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aliyah" is /əliːˈjɑː/. 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 "aliyah"?
From Hebrew עלייה / עֲלִיָּה (aliyá, “ascent”). 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 “aliyah”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-L-I-Y-A-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əliːˈjɑː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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