antenna

/ænˈtɛn.ə/

//ænˈtɛn.ə// noun

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

"antenna" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“antenna” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,996. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,996
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An appendage used for sensing on the head of an insect, crab, or other animal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-antenna · antenna · English

antenna · rank #9,996 · 8 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,996
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH analytics

Nearest frequency peer: analytics (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “antenna”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “antenna” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

antenna vs Antonia
57% similar
antenna vs antennas
88% similar
antenna vs antennae
88% similar

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

Key facts for antenna
PropertyValue
Headwordantenna
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ænˈtɛn.ə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,996
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “antenna”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).antennalands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “analytics” (#9,995), “attribute” (#9,997), “algebra” (#9,994). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “antenna” is #9,996. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around antenna (IPA /ænˈtɛn.ə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,996 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for antenna, with forms such as "anetnna", "anntenna", and "antena". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "Antonia", "antennas", "antennae", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin antenna, antemna (“yard, sailyard; pole”). First used in this sense as a Latin word in the 15th century and as an English word by the end of the 17th century. The correct English form is antenna, spelled A-N-T-E-N-N-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    An appendage used for sensing on the head of an insect, crab, or other animal.
  2. 2
    An apparatus to receive or transmit electromagnetic waves and convert respectively to or from an electrical signal.
  3. 3
    The faculty of intuitive astuteness.
  4. 4
    A fragment of an oligosaccharide
  5. 5
    The spar to which a lateen sail is attached, which is then hoisted up the mast.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The overall shape of most insect antennae is elongate and cylindrical, although elaborations into plumose, lamellate, or pectinate forms have arisen many times in different insect lineages.
  2. He put his fingers over his head like two antennas, crossed his eyes, and waggled his tongue like some kind of insect. In the same work, Brown uses antennae to refer to both aerials and feelers during more technical descriptions.

Etymology

From Latin antenna, antemna (“yard, sailyard; pole”). First used in this sense as a Latin word in the 15th century and as an English word by the end of the 17th century.

Synonyms

feeleraerial

This word in other languages

antena(Español)antenne(Français)Antenne(Deutsch)antena(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anetnna
  • anntenna
  • antena
  • antenan
  • antnena
  • anttenna
  • atnenna
  • natenna

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of antenna - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

anetnna2anntenna1antena1antenan2antnena2anttenna1atnenna2natenna2
Edit distance from "antenna"

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 "antenna"?
"antenna" is spelled A-N-T-E-N-N-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ænˈtɛn.ə/.
What does "antenna" mean?
As a noun, "antenna" means: An appendage used for sensing on the head of an insect, crab, or other animal.
What words are commonly confused with "antenna"?
"antenna" is commonly confused with "Antonia", "antennas", "antennae". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "antenna"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "antenna" is /ænˈtɛn.ə/. 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 "antenna"?
From Latin antenna, antemna (“yard, sailyard; pole”). First used in this sense as a Latin word in the 15th century and as an English word by the end of the 17th century. 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 "antenna", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

algebra#9,994Wyoming#9,989whiskey#9,987wherein#9,986

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Worms8 variantsUganda8 variantstenant8 variantscrawl8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list