argillaceous
/ɑːd͡ʒɪlˈeɪʃəs/
"argillaceous" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“argillaceous” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pertaining to clay; made of, containing, or resembling clay; clayey.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | argillaceous |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ɑːd͡ʒɪlˈeɪʃəs/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “argillaceous” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
argillaceous is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɑːd͡ʒɪlˈeɪʃəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Pertaining to clay; made of, containing, or resembling clay; clayey.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for argillaceous, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin argillaceus, from argilla (“clay”), from Ancient Greek ἄργιλλος (árgillos, “white clay, potter's earth”), from ἀργός (argós, “white”). The correct English form is argillaceous, spelled A-R-G-I-L-L-A-C-E-O-U-S.
Definition
- 1Pertaining to clay; made of, containing, or resembling clay; clayey.
Etymology
From Latin argillaceus, from argilla (“clay”), from Ancient Greek ἄργιλλος (árgillos, “white clay, potter's earth”), from ἀργός (argós, “white”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “argillaceous”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-R-G-I-L-L-A-C-E-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɑːd͡ʒɪlˈeɪʃəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.