alloy

/ˈæ.lɔɪ/

//ˈæ.lɔɪ// noun

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

"alloy" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“alloy” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,724. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,724
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, a base metal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-alloy · alloy · English

alloy · rank #12,724 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,724
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH affinity

Nearest frequency peer: affinity (-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 “alloy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “alloy” 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).

alloy vs also
60% similar
alloy vs ally
80% similar
alloy vs alot
60% similar

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

Key facts for alloy
PropertyValue
Headwordalloy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæ.lɔɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,724
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “alloy”

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).alloylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “affinity” (#12,723), “apartheid” (#12,725), “addictive” (#12,722). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “alloy” is #12,724. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around alloy (IPA /ˈæ.lɔɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,724 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for alloy, with forms such as "alloyy", "allyo", and "aloly". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "also", "ally", "alot", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French alloy, aloy, from Old French aloi, from aloiier, from Latin alligō. The correct English form is alloy, spelled A-L-L-O-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, a base metal.
  2. 2
    A metal of lesser value, mixed with a metal of greater value.
  3. 3
    An admixture; something added which stains, taints etc.
  4. 4
    Fusion, marriage, combination.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. gold without alloy
  2. Many of these coins are preserved at the British Museum, in London, and at the Ashmolean Museum, in Oxford, and are all of pure gold, without alloy, and in a good state of preservation. Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni, is also said to have[…]

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French alloy, aloy, from Old French aloi, from aloiier, from Latin alligō.

Synonyms

alloy

This word in other languages

aleación(Español)alliage(Français)Legierung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alloyy
  • allyo
  • aloly
  • aloy
  • laloy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

alloyy1allyo2aloly2aloy1laloy2
Edit distance from "alloy"

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 "alloy"?
"alloy" is spelled A-L-L-O-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæ.lɔɪ/.
What does "alloy" mean?
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.
What words are commonly confused with "alloy"?
"alloy" is commonly confused with "also", "ally", "alot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alloy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alloy" is /ˈæ.lɔɪ/. 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 "alloy"?
Borrowed from Middle French alloy, aloy, from Old French aloi, from aloiier, from Latin alligō. 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 "alloy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

wedge#12,715cites#12,742crank#12,747Dante#12,749

Similar misspelling depth

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

Yuri5 variantsRudy5 variantsFiji5 variantsgeek5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list