amala

noun

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

"amala" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“amala” is uncommon English (frequency #81,100 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,100
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A thick paste made from yam or cassava flour, eaten chiefly in Yoruba cuisine.

Corpus desk

Index EN-amala · amala · English

amala · rank #81,100 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #81,100
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH amanita

Nearest frequency peer: amanita (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “amala”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “amala” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for amala
PropertyValue
Headwordamala
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters5
Frequency rank#81,100
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “amala” in English

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

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “amanita” (#81,101), “ambling” (#81,102), “aloofness” (#81,097). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “amala” is #81,100. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

amala is uncommon English at frequency #81,100 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A thick paste made from yam or cassava flour, eaten chiefly in Yoruba cuisine.".

Zero misspellings are on record for amala in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Yoruba àmàlà. The correct English form is amala, spelled A-M-A-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A thick paste made from yam or cassava flour, eaten chiefly in Yoruba cuisine.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The amala, or fermented yam, is an acquired taste, arriving in a grayish steamed mound, wrapped in plastic; it's neither sweet nor sour.

Etymology

Borrowed from Yoruba àmàlà.

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 "amala"?
"amala" is spelled A-M-A-L-A.
What does "amala" mean?
As a noun, "amala" means: A thick paste made from yam or cassava flour, eaten chiefly in Yoruba cuisine.
What is the origin of the word "amala"?
Borrowed from Yoruba àmàlà. 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 "amala", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Akiva#81,087Airey#81,086Barro#81,144basho#81,145

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list