eighth note

noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A note having one-eighth the duration of a whole note; a quaver.

Corpus desk

Index EN-eighth-note · eighth note · English

eighth note · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" 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 eighth note
PropertyValue
Headwordeighth note
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “eighth note” in English

eighth notefalls 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

eighth note is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A note having one-eighth the duration of a whole note; a quaver.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for eighth note, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Calque of German Achtelnote. The correct English form is eighth note, spelled E-I-G-H-T-H- -N-O-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A note having one-eighth the duration of a whole note; a quaver.

Etymology

Calque of German Achtelnote.

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 "eighth note"?
"eighth note" is spelled E-I-G-H-T-H- -N-O-T-E.
What does "eighth note" mean?
As a noun, "eighth note" means: A note having one-eighth the duration of a whole note; a quaver.
What is the origin of the word "eighth note"?
Calque of German Achtelnote. 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