article

/ˈɑːtɪkl̩/

//ˈɑːtɪkl̩// noun

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

The verdict

“article” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #841. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#841
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A piece of nonfiction writing such as a story, report, opinion piece, or entry in a newspaper, magazine, journal, encyclopedia, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-article · article · English

article · rank #841 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #841
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH add

Nearest frequency peer: add (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “article”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “article” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

article vs Artie
57% similar
article vs artiste
71% similar
article vs articles
88% similar

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

Key facts for article
PropertyValue
Headwordarticle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɑːtɪkl̩/
Letters7
Frequency rank#841
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “article” 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). article lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around article (IPA /ˈɑːtɪkl̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #841 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for article, with forms such as "aritcle", "arrticle", and "artcile". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "Artie", "artiste", "articles", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English article, from Old French article, from Latin articulus (“a joint, limb, member, part, division, the article in grammar, a point of time”), from Latin artus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂értus (“that which is fit together; juncture, orderi… The correct English form is article, spelled A-R-T-I-C-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A piece of nonfiction writing such as a story, report, opinion piece, or entry in a newspaper, magazine, journal, encyclopedia, etc.
  2. 2
    An object, a member of a group or class.
  3. 3
    A part of speech that indicates, specifies and limits a noun (a, an, or the in English). In some languages the article may appear as an ending (e.g. definite article in Swedish) or there may be none (e.g. Russian, Pashto).
  4. 4
    A section of a legal document, bylaws, etc. or, in the plural, the entire document seen as a collection of these.
  5. 5
    Ellipsis of genuine article.
  6. 6
    A part or segment of something joined to other parts, or, in combination, forming a structured set.
  7. 7
    A person; an individual.
  8. 8
    A wench.
  9. 9
    Subject matter; concern.
  10. 10
    A distinct part.
  11. 11
    A precise point in time; a moment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […]. (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)
  2. an article of clothing

Etymology

From Middle English article, from Old French article, from Latin articulus (“a joint, limb, member, part, division, the article in grammar, a point of time”), from Latin artus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂értus (“that which is fit together; juncture, ordering”), from the root *h₂er- (“to join, fit (together)”). Doublet of articulus.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aritcle
  • arrticle
  • artcile
  • articcle
  • articel
  • articlle
  • artilce
  • artticle
  • atricle
  • raticle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aritcle2arrticle1artcile2articcle1articel2articlle1artilce2artticle1
Edit distance from "article"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "article"?
"article" is spelled A-R-T-I-C-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɑːtɪkl̩/.
What does "article" mean?
As a noun, "article" means: A piece of nonfiction writing such as a story, report, opinion piece, or entry in a newspaper, magazine, journal, encyclopedia, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "article"?
"article" is commonly confused with "Artie", "artiste", "articles". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "article"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "article" is /ˈɑːtɪkl̩/. 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 "article"?
From Middle English article, from Old French article, from Latin articulus (“a joint, limb, member, part, division, the article in grammar, a point of time”), from Latin artus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂értus (“that which is fit together; junctu... 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 "article", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "article". Here's where to go from here.

  • "article" maps to 3 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Artie". View pair
  • 10 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #841 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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