corundum

/kəˈɹʌn.dəm/

//kəˈɹʌn.dəm// noun

"corundum" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“corundum” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An extremely hard mineral, a form of aluminum oxide with the chemical formula Al₂O₃, that occurs in the form of the gemstones sapphire and ruby; it is used as an abrasive.

Corpus desk

Index EN-corundum · corundum · English

corundum · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for corundum
PropertyValue
Headwordcorundum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈɹʌn.dəm/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “corundum” in English

corundumfalls 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.

Rare enough to double-check

corundum is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /kəˈɹʌn.dəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An extremely hard mineral, a form of aluminum oxide with the chemical formula Al₂O₃, that occurs in the form of the gemstones sapphire and ruby; it is used as an abrasive.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for corundum, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Tamil குருந்தம் (kuruntam, “ruby, sapphire”) First attested in the early 18th century. The correct English form is corundum, spelled C-O-R-U-N-D-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    An extremely hard mineral, a form of aluminum oxide with the chemical formula Al₂O₃, that occurs in the form of the gemstones sapphire and ruby; it is used as an abrasive.

Etymology

From Tamil குருந்தம் (kuruntam, “ruby, sapphire”) First attested in the early 18th century.

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 "corundum"?
"corundum" is spelled C-O-R-U-N-D-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈɹʌn.dəm/.
What does "corundum" mean?
As a noun, "corundum" means: An extremely hard mineral, a form of aluminum oxide with the chemical formula Al₂O₃, that occurs in the form of the gemstones sapphire and ruby; it is used as an abrasive.
How do you pronounce "corundum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "corundum" is /kəˈɹʌn.dəm/. 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 "corundum"?
From Tamil குருந்தம் (kuruntam, “ruby, sapphire”) First attested in the early 18th century. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list