auxiliary verb

/ɔːɡˈzɪljəɹi ˈvɜː(ɹ)b/

//ɔːɡˈzɪljəɹi ˈvɜː(ɹ)b// noun

"auxiliary-verb" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“auxiliary verb” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A verb that accompanies the main verb in a clause in order to make distinctions in tense, mood, voice or aspect.

Key facts for auxiliary verb
PropertyValue
Headwordauxiliary verb
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɔːɡˈzɪljəɹi ˈvɜː(ɹ)b/
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “auxiliary verb” sits in English frequency

auxiliary verb falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for auxiliary verb is 14 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɔːɡˈzɪljəɹi ˈvɜː(ɹ)b/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A verb that accompanies the main verb in a clause in order to make distinctions in tense, mood, voice or aspect.".

No misspelling variants are generated for auxiliary verb in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct English form is auxiliary verb, spelled A-U-X-I-L-I-A-R-Y- -V-E-R-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A verb that accompanies the main verb in a clause in order to make distinctions in tense, mood, voice or aspect.

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "auxiliary verb"?
"auxiliary verb" is spelled A-U-X-I-L-I-A-R-Y- -V-E-R-B. The IPA pronunciation is /ɔːɡˈzɪljəɹi ˈvɜː(ɹ)b/.
What does "auxiliary verb" mean?
As a noun, "auxiliary verb" means: A verb that accompanies the main verb in a clause in order to make distinctions in tense, mood, voice or aspect.
How do you pronounce "auxiliary verb"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "auxiliary verb" is /ɔːɡˈzɪljəɹi ˈvɜː(ɹ)b/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "auxiliary verb" come from?
"auxiliary verb" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Using “auxiliary verb”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-U-X-I-L-I-A-R-Y- -V-E-R-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɔːɡˈzɪljəɹi ˈvɜː(ɹ)b/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list