asphalt

/ˈæʃfɑlt/

//ˈæʃfɑlt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“asphalt” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,271. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,271
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sticky, black to brown and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid, composed almost entirely of bitumen with small mineral particles, that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural depo...

Corpus desk

Index EN-asphalt · asphalt · English

asphalt · rank #14,271 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,271
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ari

Nearest frequency peer: Ari (-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 “asphalt”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “asphalt” 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
Key facts for asphalt
PropertyValue
Headwordasphalt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæʃfɑlt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,271
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “asphalt”

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).asphaltlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Ari” (#14,270), “Arabian” (#14,269), “Antarctica” (#14,268). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “asphalt” is #14,271. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around asphalt (IPA /ˈæʃfɑlt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,271 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for asphalt, with forms such as "apshalt", "ashpalt", and "aspahlt". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin asphaltum, from Ancient Greek ἄσφαλτος (ásphaltos, “asphalt, bitumen”). Displaced native Old English eorþteoru. The correct English form is asphalt, spelled A-S-P-H-A-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sticky, black to brown and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid, composed almost entirely of bitumen with small mineral particles, that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits.
  2. 2
    Ellipsis of asphalt concrete, a hard ground covering used for roads and walkways.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The mining of asphalt was big business in this area in the early twentieth century.
  2. Felltham wrote in the beginning of the 17th century of the “Bitumated walls of Babylon;” the source of its supply, the fountains of Is, on a tributary of the Euphrates, still yields asphalt.

Etymology

From Late Latin asphaltum, from Ancient Greek ἄσφαλτος (ásphaltos, “asphalt, bitumen”). Displaced native Old English eorþteoru.

This word in other languages

asfalto(Español)asphalte(Français)Asphalt(Deutsch)asfalto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apshalt
  • ashpalt
  • aspahlt
  • asphallt
  • asphaltt
  • asphatl
  • asphhalt
  • asphlat
  • aspphalt
  • assphalt
  • saphalt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of asphalt - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

apshalt2ashpalt2aspahlt2asphallt1asphaltt1asphatl2asphhalt1asphlat2
Edit distance from "asphalt"

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 "asphalt"?
"asphalt" is spelled A-S-P-H-A-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæʃfɑlt/.
What does "asphalt" mean?
As a noun, "asphalt" means: A sticky, black to brown and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid, composed almost entirely of bitumen with small mineral particles, that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural depo...
What are common misspellings of "asphalt"?
Common misspellings include "apshalt", "ashpalt", "aspahlt", "asphallt", "asphaltt". The correct spelling is "asphalt".
How do you pronounce "asphalt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "asphalt" is /ˈæʃfɑlt/. 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 "asphalt"?
From Late Latin asphaltum, from Ancient Greek ἄσφαλτος (ásphaltos, “asphalt, bitumen”). Displaced native Old English eorþteoru. 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 "asphalt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Arabian#14,269Bahamas#14,276Bolivia#14,279booklet#14,280

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

amounted11 variantsblizzard11 variantsBrittany11 variantswelding11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list