alkali

/ˈæl.kəˌlaɪ/

//ˈæl.kəˌlaɪ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“alkali” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,053. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,053
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, soda ash, caustic soda, potash, ammonia, and lithia, whose distinguishing characteristics are dissolving in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and f...

Corpus desk

Index EN-alkali · alkali · English

alkali · rank #31,053 · 8 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,053
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Albright

Nearest frequency peer: Albright (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “alkali”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “alkali” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

alkali vs alkyl
67% similar
alkali vs Anjali
50% similar
alkali vs alkaline
75% similar

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

Key facts for alkali
PropertyValue
Headwordalkali
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæl.kəˌlaɪ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#31,053
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “alkali”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Albright” (#31,052), “allusion” (#31,054), “Almeida” (#31,055). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “alkali” is #31,053. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around alkali (IPA /ˈæl.kəˌlaɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,053 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for alkali, with forms such as "aklali", "alakli", and "alkail". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "alkyl", "Anjali", "alkaline", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French alcali, from Medieval Latin alcali, ultimately from Arabic اَلْقِلْي (al-qily, “alkali, ashes of the saltwort”), related to قَلَى (qalā, “to roast in a pan, fry”). The correct English form is alkali, spelled A-L-K-A-L-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, soda ash, caustic soda, potash, ammonia, and lithia, whose distinguishing characteristics are dissolving in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and fats to form soap, neutralizing and forming salts with acids, turning to brown several vegetable yellows, and changing reddened litmus to blue.
  2. 2
    Soluble mineral matter, other than common salt, contained in soils of natural waters.

Etymology

From French alcali, from Medieval Latin alcali, ultimately from Arabic اَلْقِلْي (al-qily, “alkali, ashes of the saltwort”), related to قَلَى (qalā, “to roast in a pan, fry”).

Synonyms

base

Antonyms

acid

This word in other languages

álcali(Español)alcali(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aklali
  • alakli
  • alkail
  • alkalli
  • alkkali
  • alklai
  • allkali
  • lakali

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aklali2alakli2alkail2alkalli1alkkali1alklai2allkali1lakali2
Edit distance from "alkali"

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 "alkali"?
"alkali" is spelled A-L-K-A-L-I. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæl.kəˌlaɪ/.
What does "alkali" mean?
As a noun, "alkali" means: One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, soda ash, caustic soda, potash, ammonia, and lithia, whose distinguishing characteristics are dissolving in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and f...
What words are commonly confused with "alkali"?
"alkali" is commonly confused with "alkyl", "Anjali", "alkaline". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alkali"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alkali" is /ˈæl.kəˌlaɪ/. 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 "alkali"?
From French alcali, from Medieval Latin alcali, ultimately from Arabic اَلْقِلْي (al-qily, “alkali, ashes of the saltwort”), related to قَلَى (qalā, “to roast in a pan, fry”). 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 "alkali", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Zagreb#31,040wanker#31,030Valium#31,027unplug#31,023

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

chewy8 variantscleft8 variantsclump8 variantsstutter8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list