astrolabe

/ˈæs.tɹəˌleɪb/

//ˈæs.tɹəˌleɪb// noun

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

"astrolabe" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“astrolabe” is uncommon English (frequency #71,292 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,292
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An astronomical and navigational instrument for gauging the altitude of the Sun and stars.

Corpus desk

Index EN-astrolabe · astrolabe · English

astrolabe · rank #71,292 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,292
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH askari

Nearest frequency peer: askari (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “astrolabe”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “astrolabe” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for astrolabe
PropertyValue
Headwordastrolabe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæs.tɹəˌleɪb/
Letters9
Frequency rank#71,292
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “astrolabe” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “askari” (#71,291), “astronomically” (#71,293), “Attleboro” (#71,294). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “astrolabe” is #71,292. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

astrolabe is uncommon English at frequency #71,292 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈæs.tɹəˌleɪb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An astronomical and navigational instrument for gauging the altitude of the Sun and stars.".

No misspelling variants are generated for astrolabe in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English astrelabie et al., from Middle French astrolabe, Old French astrelabe, from Ancient Greek ἀστρολάβος (astrolábos, “star-taking”), from ἄστρον (ástron, “star”) + λαμβάνω (lambánō, “I take”). The correct English form is astrolabe, spelled A-S-T-R-O-L-A-B-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An astronomical and navigational instrument for gauging the altitude of the Sun and stars.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The shop carries more than a dozen sundials, mostly of bronze, plus an astrolabe ($650) of wrought iron.
  2. The cafe serves a Moroccan breakfast (orange juice, yogurt, sweet crepes, honey and jam; 100 dirhams), and the Museum of Islamic Art offers wrought Persian astrolabes, Syrian copperwork and shimmering Moroccan textiles.

Etymology

From Middle English astrelabie et al., from Middle French astrolabe, Old French astrelabe, from Ancient Greek ἀστρολάβος (astrolábos, “star-taking”), from ἄστρον (ástron, “star”) + λαμβάνω (lambánō, “I take”).

This word in other languages

astrolabio(Español)astrolabe(Français)Astrolabium(Deutsch)

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 "astrolabe"?
"astrolabe" is spelled A-S-T-R-O-L-A-B-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæs.tɹəˌleɪb/.
What does "astrolabe" mean?
As a noun, "astrolabe" means: An astronomical and navigational instrument for gauging the altitude of the Sun and stars.
How do you pronounce "astrolabe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "astrolabe" is /ˈæs.tɹəˌleɪb/. 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 "astrolabe"?
From Middle English astrelabie et al., from Middle French astrolabe, Old French astrelabe, from Ancient Greek ἀστρολάβος (astrolábos, “star-taking”), from ἄστρον (ástron, “star”) + λαμβάνω (lambánō, “I take”). 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 "astrolabe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Attleboro#71,294Armistead#71,289antisense#71,279Albertine#71,269

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list