ecological

/ˌiːkəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkl̩/

//ˌiːkəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkl̩// adj

"ecological" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ecological” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,884. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,884
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Relating to ecology, the interrelationships of organisms and their environment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ecological · ecological · English

ecological · rank #9,884 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,884
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Durham

Nearest frequency peer: Durham (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ecological”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ecological” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ecological vs economical
80% similar
ecological vs ecologically
83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ecological
PropertyValue
Headwordecological
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌiːkəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkl̩/
Letters10
Frequency rank#9,884
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ecological”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Durham” (#9,883), “ecosystem” (#9,885), “drones” (#9,882). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “ecological” is #9,884. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around ecological (IPA /ˌiːkəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #9,884 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for ecological, with forms such as "ceological", "eccological", and "ecloogical". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "economical", "ecologically", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ecology + -ical. The correct English form is ecological, spelled E-C-O-L-O-G-I-C-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Relating to ecology, the interrelationships of organisms and their environment.
  2. 2
    Not harmful to the environment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how ecological appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents.
  2. To get doomier still, there’s also the pertinent question of whether, given current ecological speculation, the human race will even survive beyond the next century or so – an uncertainty which makes applying one’s imagination to a 22nd or 23rd Century rather academic.

Etymology

From ecology + -ical.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ceological
  • eccological
  • ecloogical
  • ecolgoical
  • ecollogical
  • ecologcial
  • ecologgical
  • ecologiacl
  • ecologicall
  • ecologiccal
  • ecologicla
  • ecoloigcal
  • ecoolgical
  • eoclogical

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ecological - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ceological2eccological1ecloogical2ecolgoical2ecollogical1ecologcial2ecologgical1ecologiacl2
Edit distance from "ecological"

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 "ecological"?
"ecological" is spelled E-C-O-L-O-G-I-C-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌiːkəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkl̩/.
What does "ecological" mean?
As an adjective, "ecological" means: Relating to ecology, the interrelationships of organisms and their environment.
What words are commonly confused with "ecological"?
"ecological" is commonly confused with "economical", "ecologically". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ecological"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ecological" is /ˌiːkəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkl̩/. 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 "ecological"?
From ecology + -ical. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ecological", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list