alternative

/ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/

//ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv// adj

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

"alternative" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“alternative” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,981 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,981
frequency rank, English
11
letters
16
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

alternative vs alternatively
85% similar
alternative vs alternate
82% similar
alternative vs alternating
82% similar

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

Key facts for alternative
PropertyValue
Headwordalternative
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/
Letters11
Frequency rank#1,981
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “alternative” 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). alternative 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 alternative is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,981 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for alternative, with forms such as "aletrnative", "allternative", and "altenrative". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "alternatively", "alternate", "alternating", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos Proto-Italic *aljos Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *aliteros Latin alter Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Latin -nus Latin alternus Proto-Indo-… The correct English form is alternative, spelled A-L-T-E-R-N-A-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities.
  2. 2
    Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities.
  3. 3
    Other; different from something else.
  4. 4
    Not traditional, outside the mainstream, underground.
  5. 5
    Alternate, reciprocal.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos Proto-Italic *aljos Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *aliteros Latin alter Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Latin -nus Latin alternus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin alternō Latin alternātus Proto-Indo-European *-wósder. Latin -īvus Latin alternātīvusder. Middle French alternatifbor. English alternative From Middle French alternatif, from Medieval Latin alternātīvus (“alternating”), from the participle stem of Latin alternō (“interchange, alternate”). Compare alternate.

This word in other languages

alternativo(Español)alternatif(Français)alternativ(Deutsch)alternativo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aletrnative,allternative,altenrative,alterantive,alternaitve,alternatiev,alternativve,alternattive,alternatvie,alternnative,alterntaive,alterrnative,altrenative,altternative,atlernative,laternative

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of alternative - 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.

aletrnative2allternative1altenrative2alterantive2alternaitve2alternatiev2alternativve1alternattive1
Edit distance from "alternative"

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 "alternative"?
"alternative" is spelled A-L-T-E-R-N-A-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/.
What does "alternative" mean?
As an adjective, "alternative" means: Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities.
What words are commonly confused with "alternative"?
"alternative" is commonly confused with "alternatively", "alternate", "alternating". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alternative"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alternative" is /ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/. 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 "alternative"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos Proto-Italic *aljos Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *aliteros Latin alter Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Latin -nus Latin alternus P... 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 “alternative”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-L-T-E-R-N-A-T-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “alternatively” - see the side-by-side comparison. alternative vs alternatively
  • 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