alter ego
/ˈɔːl.təɹ iːɡəʊ/
"alter-ego" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“alter ego” 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) - An individual's alternate personality or persona; another self.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | alter ego |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɔːl.təɹ iːɡəʊ/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “alter ego” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for alter ego is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɔːl.təɹ iːɡəʊ/. 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.
Zero misspellings are on record for alter ego in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. 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 Latin alter ego (literally “other me”). The correct English form is alter ego, spelled A-L-T-E-R- -E-G-O.
Definition
- 1An individual's alternate personality or persona; another self.
- 2A very close and intimate friend.
- 3A corporation used by a person to conduct personal business in an attempt to shield himself or herself from personal liability, and which a court may penetrate by "piercing the corporate veil" to impose liability on the person when they commit fraud or injustice.
Etymology
From Latin alter ego (literally “other me”).
Synonyms
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 “alter ego”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-L-T-E-R- -E-G-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɔːl.təɹ iːɡəʊ/ (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.