autochthonous
/ɔːˈtɒkθənəs/
"autochthonous" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“autochthonous” is an uncommon English word, ranked #83,017 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #83,017
- frequency rank, English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Native to the place where found; indigenous.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | autochthonous |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ɔːˈtɒkθənəs/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Frequency rank | #83,017 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “autochthonous” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for autochthonous is 13 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɔːˈtɒkθənəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #83,017 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for autochthonous in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Literally, “native to the soil”; from autochthon + -ous. The correct English form is autochthonous, spelled A-U-T-O-C-H-T-H-O-N-O-U-S.
Definition
- 1Native to the place where found; indigenous.
- 2Originating where found; found where it originates.
- 3Buried in place, especially of a fossil preserved in its life position without disturbance or disarticulation.
Etymology
Literally, “native to the soil”; from autochthon + -ous.
Antonyms
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); 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 “autochthonous”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-U-T-O-C-H-T-H-O-N-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɔːˈtɒkθənəs/ (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.