analogous
/əˈnæl.ə.ɡəs/
"analogous" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“analogous” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,008 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #18,008
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having analogy, the status of an analogue; corresponding to something else; bearing some resemblance or similar proportion (often followed by "to".)
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | analogous |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /əˈnæl.ə.ɡəs/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #18,008 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “analogous” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for analogous is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈnæl.ə.ɡəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,008 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 generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for analogous, with forms such as "aanlogous", "analgoous", and "anallogous". 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. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "analogue", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin analogus, from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νᾰ́λογος (ănắlogos); Its English equivalent is analogue + -ous. The application to similar features of organisms is nearly as old as the general sense. Recognizably modern uses of the second sense, distinguishing an… The correct English form is analogous, spelled A-N-A-L-O-G-O-U-S.
Definition
- 1Having analogy, the status of an analogue; corresponding to something else; bearing some resemblance or similar proportion (often followed by "to".)
- 2Functionally similar, but arising through convergent evolution rather than being homologous.
Etymology
From Latin analogus, from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νᾰ́λογος (ănắlogos); Its English equivalent is analogue + -ous. The application to similar features of organisms is nearly as old as the general sense. Recognizably modern uses of the second sense, distinguishing analogous from homologous, appear in the mid-19th century.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: aanlogous,analgoous,anallogous,analoggous,analogosu,analogouss,analoguos,analoogus,anaolgous,anlaogous,annalogous,naalogous
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of analogous - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "analogous"?
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Using “analogous”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-N-A-L-O-G-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈnæl.ə.ɡəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “analogue” - see the side-by-side comparison. analogous vs analogue
- 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.