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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,718 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#21,718
frequency rank, English
12
letters
18
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pertaining to, furnished with, or expressed by letters of the alphabet.

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)

Where “alphabetical” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). alphabetical lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for alphabetical is 12 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌæl.fəˈbɛt.ɪ.kəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,718 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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

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.

Using “alphabetical”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-L-P-H-A-B-E-T-I-C-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌæl.fəˈbɛt.ɪ.kəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “alphabetically” - see the side-by-side comparison. alphabetical vs alphabetically
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list