alloy
/ˈæ.lɔɪ/noun, verb
alloy is spelled A-L-L-O-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.1 times per million words in written English, the 12,764th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, alloy means “A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, a base metal” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of alloy is alloys.
How many letters and syllables are in alloy?
| Letters | 5: A-L-L-O-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.1 times per million words; the 12,764th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is alloy?
Alloy appears 4.1 times per million words in written English, the 12,764th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce alloy?
- /ˈæ.lɔɪ/
- /əˈlɔɪ/
As a verb (“To mix or combine; often used of metals”): /əˈlɔɪ/, /ˈæ.lɔɪ/.
Alloy has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-alloy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with alloy?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as alloy.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: loyal.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of alloy
- alloys plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- alloying participle, present
- alloyed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does alloy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, a base metal.
- 2
archaicA metal of lesser value, mixed with a metal of greater value.
gold without alloy
- 3
An admixture; something added which stains, taints etc.
- 4
A fusion, marriage or combination.
verb
- 1
To mix or combine; often used of metals.
- 2
To reduce the purity of by mixing with a less valuable substance.
to alloy gold with silver or copper, or silver with copper
- 3
To impair or debase by mixture.
to alloy pleasure with misfortunes
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Alloy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does alloy come from?
Borrowed from Middle French alloy, aloy, from Old French aloi, from aloiier, from Latin alligō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).