alkaline

/ˈæl.kəl.aɪn/

//ˈæl.kəl.aɪn// adj

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

"alkaline" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“alkaline” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,831. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,831
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of, or relating to an alkali, one of a class of caustic bases.

Corpus desk

Index EN-alkaline · alkaline · English

alkaline · rank #20,831 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #20,831
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Alistair

Nearest frequency peer: Alistair (-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 “alkaline”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “alkaline” 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).

alkaline vs alkali
75% similar

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

Key facts for alkaline
PropertyValue
Headwordalkaline
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈæl.kəl.aɪn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#20,831
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “alkaline” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).alkaline 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 11 spelling variants around alkaline (IPA /ˈæl.kəl.aɪn/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #20,831 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    Of, or relating to an alkali, one of a class of caustic bases.
  2. 2
    Having a pH greater than 7.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. [Joseph Black's] experiments on magnesia alba, quick lime, and other alkaline substances proved that "fixed air" is given off when limestone is burned, and that the same loss is incurred when it is dissolved in muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid).

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

alcalino(Español)alcalin(Français)alkalisch(Deutsch)alcalino(Português)

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.

aklaline2alakline2alkailne2alkalien2alkalinne1alkalline1alkalnie2alkkaline1
Edit distance from "alkaline"

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 "alkaline"?
"alkaline" is spelled A-L-K-A-L-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæl.kəl.aɪn/.
What does "alkaline" mean?
As an adjective, "alkaline" means: Of, or relating to an alkali, one of a class of caustic bases.
What words are commonly confused with "alkaline"?
"alkaline" is commonly confused with "alkali". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alkaline"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alkaline" is /ˈæl.kəl.aɪn/. 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 "alkaline"?
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”). 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 "alkaline", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Alistair#20,830Albanian#20,829antidote#20,834arterial#20,838

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

archery11 variantsauditory11 variantswhaling11 variantsvividly11 variants

What to do next

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

  • This headword has one recorded confusable pair with "alkali". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #20,831 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