assault rifle
/əˈsɒlt ˈɹaɪfəl/
"assault-rifle" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“assault rifle” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A military select-fire rifle or carbine that fires a shortened rifle caliber round or lower-power smaller-calibre round, from a high-capacity magazine.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | assault rifle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /əˈsɒlt ˈɹaɪfəl/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “assault rifle” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
assault rifle is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /əˈsɒlt ˈɹaɪfəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for assault rifle, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: Calque of German Sturmgewehr (literally “storm rifle”). The Maschinenpistole 44 was called the Sturmgewehr by Adolf Hitler, whence it was renamed to represent the separate class of firearm it represented. The correct English form is assault rifle, spelled A-S-S-A-U-L-T- -R-I-F-L-E.
Definition
- 1A military select-fire rifle or carbine that fires a shortened rifle caliber round or lower-power smaller-calibre round, from a high-capacity magazine.
- 2Any firearm meeting the definition of an assault weapon, and in the form of a rifle.
Etymology
Calque of German Sturmgewehr (literally “storm rifle”). The Maschinenpistole 44 was called the Sturmgewehr by Adolf Hitler, whence it was renamed to represent the separate class of firearm it represented.
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 “assault rifle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-S-S-A-U-L-T- -R-I-F-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈsɒlt ˈɹaɪfəl/ (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.