alveolar
/alˈviː.əl.ə/
"alveolar" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“alveolar” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #36,857 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #36,857
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Relating to the alveoli (small air sacs) of the lungs.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | alveolar |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /alˈviː.əl.ə/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #36,857 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “alveolar” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for alveolar is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /alˈviː.əl.ə/. Corpus data places it at rank #36,857 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for alveolar, with forms such as "alevolar", "allveolar", and "alveloar". 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. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From alveolus + -ar. The correct English form is alveolar, spelled A-L-V-E-O-L-A-R.
Definition
- 1Relating to the alveoli (small air sacs) of the lungs.
- 2Relating to the jaw ridge containing the tooth sockets.
- 3Formed with the tongue touching or approaching the inner ridge of the gums of the upper front teeth.
- 4Relating to the glands with secretory cells about a central space.
Etymology
From alveolus + -ar.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: alevolar,allveolar,alveloar,alveoalr,alveolarr,alveollar,alveolra,alvoelar,alvveolar,avleolar,laveolar
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of alveolar - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "alveolar"?
What does "alveolar" mean?
What are common misspellings of "alveolar"?
How do you pronounce "alveolar"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “alveolar”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-L-V-E-O-L-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /alˈviː.əl.ə/ (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.