ape

/eɪp/

//eɪp// noun

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

"ape" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ape” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,334 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,334
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A primate of the superfamily Hominoidea, generally larger than monkeys and distinguished from them by having no tail.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ape vs as
33% similar
ape vs at
33% similar
ape vs aw
33% similar

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

Key facts for ape
PropertyValue
Headwordape
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/eɪp/
Letters3
Frequency rank#15,334
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ape” sits in English frequency

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

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for ape is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /eɪp/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,334 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for ape, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "as", "at", "aw", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ape, from Old English apa (“ape, monkey”), from Proto-West Germanic *apō, from Proto-Germanic *apô (“monkey, ape”), possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- (“water”), compare Proto-Celtic *abū (“river”) (hence English place name… The correct English form is ape, spelled A-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A primate of the superfamily Hominoidea, generally larger than monkeys and distinguished from them by having no tail.
  2. 2
    Any such primate other than a human.
  3. 3
    An unintelligent or unsophisticated person, especially one who behaves irrationally or in an uncivilised manner.
  4. 4
    One who apes; a foolish imitator.
  5. 5
    A black person.

Etymology

From Middle English ape, from Old English apa (“ape, monkey”), from Proto-West Germanic *apō, from Proto-Germanic *apô (“monkey, ape”), possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- (“water”), compare Proto-Celtic *abū (“river”) (hence English place name Avon, Irish abha, Welsh afon), if the word originally referred to a "water sprite". Traditionally assumed to be an ancient loanword instead, ultimately probably from an unidentified non-Indo-European language of regions in Africa or Asia where monkeys are native. Cognate with Scots aip (“ape”), West Frisian aap (“ape”), Dutch aap (“monkey, ape”), Low German Ape (“ape”), German Affe (“monkey, ape”), Swedish apa (“monkey, ape”), Icelandic api (“ape”).

Synonyms

ape

This word in other languages

simio(Español)singe(Français)Affe(Deutsch)símio(Português)

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 "ape"?
"ape" is spelled A-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is /eɪp/.
What does "ape" mean?
As a noun, "ape" means: A primate of the superfamily Hominoidea, generally larger than monkeys and distinguished from them by having no tail.
What words are commonly confused with "ape"?
"ape" is commonly confused with "as", "at", "aw". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ape"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ape" is /eɪp/. 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 "ape"?
From Middle English ape, from Old English apa (“ape, monkey”), from Proto-West Germanic *apō, from Proto-Germanic *apô (“monkey, ape”), possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- (“water”), compare Proto-Celtic *abū (“river”) (hence English ... 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.

Using “ape”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-P-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /eɪp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “as” - see the side-by-side comparison. ape vs as
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list