azimuth

/ˈæzɪməθ/

//ˈæzɪməθ// noun

"azimuth" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“azimuth” is uncommon English (frequency #52,162 among 35,202 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,162
frequency rank, English
35,202
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An arc of the horizon intercepted between the meridian of the place and a vertical circle passing through the center of any object.

Key facts for azimuth
PropertyValue
Headwordazimuth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæzɪməθ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#52,162
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “azimuth” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

azimuth is uncommon English at frequency #52,162 among 35,202 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈæzɪməθ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for azimuth, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. 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 Old French *azimut (modern French azimut), from Arabic اَلسُّمُوت pl (as-sumūt, “the directions”). The correct English form is azimuth, spelled A-Z-I-M-U-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    An arc of the horizon intercepted between the meridian of the place and a vertical circle passing through the center of any object.
  2. 2
    The quadrant of an azimuth circle.

Etymology

From Old French *azimut (modern French azimut), from Arabic اَلسُّمُوت pl (as-sumūt, “the directions”).

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

How do you spell "azimuth"?
"azimuth" is spelled A-Z-I-M-U-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæzɪməθ/.
What does "azimuth" mean?
As a noun, "azimuth" means: An arc of the horizon intercepted between the meridian of the place and a vertical circle passing through the center of any object.
How do you pronounce "azimuth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "azimuth" is /ˈæzɪməθ/. 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 "azimuth"?
From Old French *azimut (modern French azimut), from Arabic اَلسُّمُوت pl (as-sumūt, “the directions”). 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.

Using “azimuth”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-Z-I-M-U-T-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈæzɪməθ/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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