English Word Reference Free

ample

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "ample", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "ample" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "ample" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

ample is aEnglishdet. It means: A fully sufficient or abundant quantity of; enough or more than enough. Pronounced /ˈæm.pəl/. Often confused with ape and APL.

Key facts for ample
PropertyValue
Headwordample
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechDet
IPA/ˈæm.pəl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,978
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of ample in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for ample is 5 letters long, classified as adet, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈæm.pəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,978 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 6 documented wrong-spelling variants for ample, with forms such as "amlpe", "ammple", and "ampel". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ape", "APL", "axle", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Latin amplus Old French ample Middle French amplebor. Middle English ample English ample From late Middle English ample, from Middle French ample, from Latin amplus (“large”). Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is ample, spelled A-M-P-L-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fully sufficient or abundant quantity of; enough or more than enough.
  2. 2
    A quantity (of something) that is fully sufficient; plenty.

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin amplus Old French ample Middle French amplebor. Middle English ample English ample From late Middle English ample, from Middle French ample, from Latin amplus (“large”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amlpe,ammple,ampel,amplle,ampple,apmle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for ample

Misspelling Variants of "ample"

amlpe5ammple6ampel5amplle6ampple6apmle5
Misspelling Variants of "ample"

Frequency rank: #10,978 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ample"?
"ample" is spelled A-M-P-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæm.pəl/.
What does "ample" mean?
As a det, "ample" means: A fully sufficient or abundant quantity of; enough or more than enough.
What words are commonly confused with "ample"?
"ample" is commonly confused with "ape", "APL", "axle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ample"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ample" is /ˈæm.pəl/. 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 "ample"?
Etymology tree Latin amplus Old French ample Middle French amplebor. Middle English ample English ample From late Middle English ample, from Middle French ample, from Latin amplus (“large”). 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter A in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.