eight

Name: eight, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/eɪt/

//eɪt// num

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“eight” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,016 in English word frequency and used as a numeral.

#1,016
frequency rank, English: 5
letters: 7
tracked misspellings: 6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A numerical value equal to 8; the number occurring after seven and before nine.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

eight vs eighth

83% similar

eight vs eighty

83% similar

eight vs Enright

57% similar

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

Key facts for eight
Property	Value
Headword	eight
Language	English
Part of speech	Numeral
IPA	/eɪt/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#1,016
Misspellings tracked	7
Confusable pairs	6
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “eight” 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). eight lands here:

#1,016

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for eight is 5 letters long, classified as a numeral, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /eɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,016 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for eight, with forms such as "egiht", "eigght", and "eighht". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "eighth", "eighty", "Enright", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *oḱtṓw From Middle English eighte, aught, eahte, ahte, from Old English eahta, from Proto-West Germanic *ahtō, from Proto-Germanic *ahtōu, from Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw. Cognate with Scots aucht (“eight”), West Frisian acht (“eight”), Dutch acht… The correct English form is eight, spelled E-I-G-H-T.

Definition

1
A numerical value equal to 8; the number occurring after seven and before nine.
2
Describing a group or set with eight elements.

Etymology

PIE word *oḱtṓw From Middle English eighte, aught, eahte, ahte, from Old English eahta, from Proto-West Germanic *ahtō, from Proto-Germanic *ahtōu, from Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw. Cognate with Scots aucht (“eight”), West Frisian acht (“eight”), Dutch acht (“eight”), Low German acht (“eight”), German acht (“eight”), Norwegian åtte (“eight”), Swedish åtta (“eight”), Icelandic átta (“eight”), Latin octo (“eight”), Ancient Greek ὀκτώ (oktṓ), Irish ocht (“eight”), among others. False cognate of Tamil எட்டு (eṭṭu), Malayalam എട്ട് (eṭṭŭ).

This word in other languages

ocho(Español)huit(Français)acht(Deutsch)oito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: egiht,eigght,eighht,eightt,eigth,eihgt,ieght

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "eight"

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 "eight"?

"eight" is spelled E-I-G-H-T. The IPA pronunciation is /eɪt/.

What does "eight" mean?

As a numeral, "eight" means: A numerical value equal to 8; the number occurring after seven and before nine.

What words are commonly confused with "eight"?

"eight" is commonly confused with "eighth", "eighty", "Enright". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "eight"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "eight" is /eɪt/. 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 "eight"?

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 “eight”

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

The one correct English spelling is E-I-G-H-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /eɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “eighth” - see the side-by-side comparison. eight vs eighth
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.