extraterrestrial

/ˌɛk.stɹə.təˈɹɛs.tɹi.əl/

//ˌɛk.stɹə.təˈɹɛs.tɹi.əl// adj

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

"extraterrestrial" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“extraterrestrial” has 23 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,380. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,380
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
23
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Originating from outside of the Earth's atmosphere, from space, or from another planet; alien to Earth or its environment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-extraterrestrial · extraterrestrial · English

extraterrestrial · rank #25,380 · 23 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,380
  • LEN-MEGA 16 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 23 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Exxon

Nearest frequency peer: Exxon (+1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “extraterrestrial”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “extraterrestrial” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for extraterrestrial
PropertyValue
Headwordextraterrestrial
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌɛk.stɹə.təˈɹɛs.tɹi.əl/
Letters16
Frequency rank#25,380
Misspellings tracked23
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “extraterrestrial”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).extraterrestriallands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Exxon” (#25,381), “evangelist” (#25,378), “eyeball” (#25,382). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “extraterrestrial” is #25,380. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 23 spelling variants around extraterrestrial (IPA /ˌɛk.stɹə.təˈɹɛs.tɹi.əl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #25,380 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Originating from outside of the Earth's atmosphere, from space, or from another planet; alien to Earth or its environment.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 23 likely wrong-spelling variants for extraterrestrial, with forms such as "etxraterrestrial", "exrtaterrestrial", and "extarterrestrial". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From extra- + terrestrial. The correct English form is extraterrestrial, spelled E-X-T-R-A-T-E-R-R-E-S-T-R-I-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Originating from outside of the Earth's atmosphere, from space, or from another planet; alien to Earth or its environment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Residents of the city of Voronezh insisted today that lanky, three-eyed extraterrestrial creatures had indeed landed in a local park and gone for a stroll and that a seemingly fantastic report about the event carried Monday by the official press agency Tass was absolutely true.

Etymology

From extra- + terrestrial.

This word in other languages

extraterrestre(Español)extraterrestre(Français)außerirdisch(Deutsch)extraterrestre(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etxraterrestrial
  • exrtaterrestrial
  • extarterrestrial
  • extraetrrestrial
  • extratererstrial
  • extraterestrial
  • extraterresrtial
  • extraterresstrial
  • extraterrestiral
  • extraterrestrail
  • extraterrestriall
  • extraterrestrila
  • extraterrestrrial
  • extraterresttrial
  • extraterretsrial
  • extraterrsetrial
  • extratrerestrial
  • extratterrestrial
  • extrraterrestrial
  • extrtaerrestrial
  • exttraterrestrial
  • exxtraterrestrial
  • xetraterrestrial

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

etxraterrestrial2exrtaterrestrial2extarterrestrial2extraetrrestrial2extratererstrial2extraterestrial1extraterresrtial2extraterresstrial1
Edit distance from "extraterrestrial"

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 "extraterrestrial"?
"extraterrestrial" is spelled E-X-T-R-A-T-E-R-R-E-S-T-R-I-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɛk.stɹə.təˈɹɛs.tɹi.əl/.
What does "extraterrestrial" mean?
As an adjective, "extraterrestrial" means: Originating from outside of the Earth's atmosphere, from space, or from another planet; alien to Earth or its environment.
What are common misspellings of "extraterrestrial"?
Common misspellings include "etxraterrestrial", "exrtaterrestrial", "extarterrestrial", "extraetrrestrial", "extratererstrial". The correct spelling is "extraterrestrial".
How do you pronounce "extraterrestrial"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "extraterrestrial" is /ˌɛk.stɹə.təˈɹɛs.tɹi.əl/. 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 "extraterrestrial"?
From extra- + terrestrial. 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 "extraterrestrial", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 16 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

constitutionally#25,332disqualification#25,040multiculturalism#25,853autobiographical#24,089

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (23 here; floor ≥5).

thermodynamics23 variantsanthropological23 variantshospitalization23 variantsacknowledgment23 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list