Elaine
/ɪˈleɪn/
"elaine" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Elaine” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,963 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.
- #12,963
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 12
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A female given name from Ancient Greek.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Elaine |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /ɪˈleɪn/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #12,963 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 12 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Elaine” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for Elaine is 6 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪˈleɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,963 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. 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 Elaine, with forms such as "ealine", "elaien", and "elainne". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "Elie", "elite", "Ellie", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French Elaine, a variant of Elene, cognate to Helen, ultimately from Ancient Greek Ἑλένη (Helénē). A Celtic origin has also been suggested since the name appears in Arthurian legend. Doublet of Helen. The correct English form is Elaine, spelled E-L-A-I-N-E.
Definition
- 1A female given name from Ancient Greek.
- 2A town in the Shire of Moorabool, central western Victoria, Australia.
Etymology
From Old French Elaine, a variant of Elene, cognate to Helen, ultimately from Ancient Greek Ἑλένη (Helénē). A Celtic origin has also been suggested since the name appears in Arthurian legend. Doublet of Helen.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ealine,elaien,elainne,elanie,eliane,ellaine,leaine
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Elaine - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "Elaine"?
What does "Elaine" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "Elaine"?
How do you pronounce "Elaine"?
What is the origin of the word "Elaine"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Elaine”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-L-A-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪˈleɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Elie” - see the side-by-side comparison. Elaine vs Elie
- 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.