axillary
/ˈæksɪlɛɹi/
"axillary" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“axillary” is an uncommon English word, ranked #58,526 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #58,526
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or pertaining to the axilla or armpit.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | axillary |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈæksɪlɛɹi/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #58,526 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “axillary” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for axillary is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈæksɪlɛɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #58,526 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for axillary, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Alteration by association with -ary of the French axillaire (“of the axilla”), itself an alteration of the earlier forms aisselliere and aissellaire, both from the assumed Latin etymon *axillāris, from axilla (“armpit”), diminutive form of the assumed *axula. The correct English form is axillary, spelled A-X-I-L-L-A-R-Y.
Definition
- 1Of or pertaining to the axilla or armpit.
- 2Situated in, or rising from, an axil; relating to an axil.
Etymology
Alteration by association with -ary of the French axillaire (“of the axilla”), itself an alteration of the earlier forms aisselliere and aissellaire, both from the assumed Latin etymon *axillāris, from axilla (“armpit”), diminutive form of the assumed *axula.
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 “axillary”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-X-I-L-L-A-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈæksɪlɛɹi/ (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.