alphabetical

/ˌæl.fəˈbɛt.ɪ.kəl/

//ˌæl.fəˈbɛt.ɪ.kəl// adj

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

"alphabetical" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“alphabetical” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,718. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,718
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
18
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Pertaining to, furnished with, or expressed by letters of the alphabet.

Corpus desk

Index EN-alphabetical · alphabetical · English

alphabetical · rank #21,718 · 18 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #21,718
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH alternately

Nearest frequency peer: alternately (+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 “alphabetical”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “alphabetical” 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).

alphabetical vs alphabetically
86% similar

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

Key facts for alphabetical
PropertyValue
Headwordalphabetical
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌæl.fəˈbɛt.ɪ.kəl/
Letters12
Frequency rank#21,718
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “alphabetical”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).alphabeticallands 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 “alternately” (#21,719), “adoptive” (#21,716), “accomplice” (#21,715). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “alphabetical” is #21,718. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around alphabetical (IPA /ˌæl.fəˈbɛt.ɪ.kəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #21,718 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for alphabetical, with forms such as "alhpabetical", "allphabetical", and "alpahbetical". 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, "alphabetically", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin alphabēticus + -al. By surface analysis, alphabet + -ical. The correct English form is alphabetical, spelled A-L-P-H-A-B-E-T-I-C-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pertaining to, furnished with, or expressed by letters of the alphabet.
  2. 2
    According to the sequence of the letters of the alphabet.
  3. 3
    literal

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Paul, who talks about what the magical papyri do, has in his first letter to the Corinthians described basic aspects of alphabetical language.
  2. All names were placed into an alphabetical list.

Etymology

From Latin alphabēticus + -al. By surface analysis, alphabet + -ical.

This word in other languages

alfabético(Español)alphabétique(Français)alphabetisch(Deutsch)alfabético(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alhpabetical
  • allphabetical
  • alpahbetical
  • alphabbetical
  • alphabeitcal
  • alphabetcial
  • alphabetiacl
  • alphabeticall
  • alphabeticcal
  • alphabeticla
  • alphabettical
  • alphabteical
  • alphaebtical
  • alphbaetical
  • alphhabetical
  • alpphabetical
  • aplhabetical
  • laphabetical

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of alphabetical - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

alhpabetical2allphabetical1alpahbetical2alphabbetical1alphabeitcal2alphabetcial2alphabetiacl2alphabeticall1
Edit distance from "alphabetical"

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 "alphabetical"?
"alphabetical" is spelled A-L-P-H-A-B-E-T-I-C-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæl.fəˈbɛt.ɪ.kəl/.
What does "alphabetical" mean?
As an adjective, "alphabetical" means: Pertaining to, furnished with, or expressed by letters of the alphabet.
What words are commonly confused with "alphabetical"?
"alphabetical" is commonly confused with "alphabetically". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alphabetical"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alphabetical" is /ˌæl.fəˈbɛt.ɪ.kəl/. 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 "alphabetical"?
From Latin alphabēticus + -al. By surface analysis, alphabet + -ical. 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 "alphabetical", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

annihilation#21,721discouraging#21,775effortlessly#21,783segmentation#21,652

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

accompaniment18 variantssafeguarding18 variantsPeterborough18 variantspresumption18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list