allophone
/ˈaləˌfəʊn/
"allophone" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“allophone” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of two or more alternative pronunciations for a phoneme.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | allophone |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈaləˌfəʊn/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “allophone” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for allophone is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈaləˌfəʊn/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for allophone, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From allo- (“different”) + -phone. The correct English form is allophone, spelled A-L-L-O-P-H-O-N-E.
Definition
- 1Any of two or more alternative pronunciations for a phoneme.
- 2A person whose mother tongue is one other than that spoken by the majority.
- 3A person whose mother tongue is one other than that spoken by the majority.
Etymology
From allo- (“different”) + -phone.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “allophone”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-L-L-O-P-H-O-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈaləˌfəʊn/ (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
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.