ephedrine

/ˈɛf.ə.dɹiːn/

//ˈɛf.ə.dɹiːn// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"ephedrine" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ephedrine” is uncommon English (frequency #62,122 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,122
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A crystalline alkaloid drug C₁₀H₁₅NO obtained from a Chinese ephedra (Ephedra sinica) or synthesized that has the physiological action of epinephrine. It causes constriction of the blood vessels an...

Corpus desk

Index EN-ephedrine · ephedrine · English

ephedrine · rank #62,122 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,122
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH electrify

Nearest frequency peer: electrify (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “ephedrine”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ephedrine” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ephedrine
PropertyValue
Headwordephedrine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛf.ə.dɹiːn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#62,122
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ephedrine” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “electrify” (#62,120), “Eleazar” (#62,119), “Eisenstein” (#62,118). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “ephedrine” is #62,122. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ephedrine is uncommon English at frequency #62,122 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɛf.ə.dɹiːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A crystalline alkaloid drug C₁₀H₁₅NO obtained from a Chinese ephedra (Ephedra sinica) or synthesized that has the physiological action of epinephrine. It causes constriction of the blood vessels an...".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for ephedrine, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ephedra + -ine. The correct English form is ephedrine, spelled E-P-H-E-D-R-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A crystalline alkaloid drug C₁₀H₁₅NO obtained from a Chinese ephedra (Ephedra sinica) or synthesized that has the physiological action of epinephrine. It causes constriction of the blood vessels and widening of the bronchial passages and is used in the form of its hydrochloride or sulfate to relieve asthma and hay fever.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The great advantage of ephedrine is its effectiveness if taken as a pill, whereas adrenaline works only if injected or inhaled.

Etymology

From ephedra + -ine.

This word in other languages

efedrina(Español)éphédrine(Français)Ephedrin(Deutsch)efedrina(Português)

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 "ephedrine"?
"ephedrine" is spelled E-P-H-E-D-R-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛf.ə.dɹiːn/.
What does "ephedrine" mean?
As a noun, "ephedrine" means: A crystalline alkaloid drug C₁₀H₁₅NO obtained from a Chinese ephedra (Ephedra sinica) or synthesized that has the physiological action of epinephrine. It causes constriction of the blood vessels an...
How do you pronounce "ephedrine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ephedrine" is /ˈɛf.ə.dɹiːn/. 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 "ephedrine"?
From ephedra + -ine. 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 "ephedrine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

electrify#62,120Eggleston#62,116Effingham#62,115drumstick#62,108

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list