atom
/ˈætəm/
"atom" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“atom” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,813 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #10,813
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The smallest possible amount of matter which still retains its identity as a chemical element, now known to consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | atom |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈætəm/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #10,813 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “atom” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for atom is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈætəm/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,813 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for atom, with forms such as "aotm", "atmo", and "atomm". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ATP", "att", "ATV", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English attome, from Middle French athome, from Latin atomus (“smallest particle”), from Ancient Greek ἄτομος (átomos, “indivisible”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”, o-grade in τομ-) + -ος (-os). Atoms are so named because they we… The correct English form is atom, spelled A-T-O-M.
Definition
- 1The smallest possible amount of matter which still retains its identity as a chemical element, now known to consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons.
- 2A hypothetical particle posited by Greek philosophers as an ultimate and indivisible component of matter.
- 3The smallest, indivisible constituent part or unit of something.
- 4In logical atomism, a fundamental fact that cannot be further broken down.
- 5The smallest medieval unit of time, equal to fifteen ninety-fourths of a second.
- 6A mote of dust in a sunbeam.
- 7A very small amount; a whit.
- 8An individual number or symbol, as opposed to a list; a scalar value.
- 9An integer representing a particular string.
- 10A non-zero member of a partially ordered set that has only zero below it (assuming that the poset has a least element, its "zero").
- 11An element of a set that is not itself a set; an urelement.
- 12An age group division in hockey for nine- to eleven-year-olds.
Etymology
From Middle English attome, from Middle French athome, from Latin atomus (“smallest particle”), from Ancient Greek ἄτομος (átomos, “indivisible”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”, o-grade in τομ-) + -ος (-os). Atoms are so named because they were historically thought up as to be the smallest unit of matter, and thus indivisible. Doublet of atomus.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: aotm,atmo,atomm,attom,taom
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of atom - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “atom”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-T-O-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈætəm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “ATP” - see the side-by-side comparison. atom vs ATP
- 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.