alkaline
/ˈæl.kəl.aɪn/
"alkaline" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“alkaline” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #20,831 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #20,831
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of, or relating to an alkali, one of a class of caustic bases.
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 | alkaline |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈæl.kəl.aɪn/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #20,831 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “alkaline” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for alkaline is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈæl.kəl.aɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #20,831 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 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for alkaline, with forms such as "aklaline", "alakline", and "alkailne". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "alkali", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1677. From alkali + -ine, 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 alkaline, spelled A-L-K-A-L-I-N-E.
Definition
- 1Of, or relating to an alkali, one of a class of caustic bases.
- 2Having a pH greater than 7.
Etymology
First attested in 1677. From alkali + -ine, ultimately from Arabic اَلْقِلْي (al-qily, “alkali, ashes of the saltwort”), related to قَلَى (qalā, “to roast in a pan, fry”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: aklaline,alakline,alkailne,alkalien,alkalinne,alkalline,alkalnie,alkkaline,alklaine,allkaline,lakaline
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of alkaline - 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.
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 “alkaline”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-L-K-A-L-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈæl.kəl.aɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “alkali” - see the side-by-side comparison. alkaline vs alkali
- 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.