ethene

/ˈɛθiːn/

//ˈɛθiːn// noun

"ethene" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The organic chemical compound ethylene. The simplest alkene, a colorless gaseous (at room temperature and pressure) hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C₂H₄

Key facts for ethene
PropertyValue
Headwordethene
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛθiːn/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ethene” sits in English frequency

ethene falls 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

ethene is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɛθiːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

ethene has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is ethene, spelled E-T-H-E-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The organic chemical compound ethylene. The simplest alkene, a colorless gaseous (at room temperature and pressure) hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C₂H₄
  2. 2
    Any alkene derived from ethylene

Synonyms

ethyleneolefiant gas

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 "ethene"?
"ethene" is spelled E-T-H-E-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛθiːn/.
What does "ethene" mean?
As a noun, "ethene" means: The organic chemical compound ethylene. The simplest alkene, a colorless gaseous (at room temperature and pressure) hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C₂H₄
How do you pronounce "ethene"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ethene" is /ˈɛθiːn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ethene" come from?
"ethene" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “ethene”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-T-H-E-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɛθiːn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list