glockenspiel
/ˈɡlɒk.ənˌʃpiːl/
"glockenspiel" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“glockenspiel” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A musical instrument of the percussion idiophone family of instruments. Like the xylophone, it has tuned bars arranged like the keys on a piano. It is smaller in size and higher in pitch than the x...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | glockenspiel |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɡlɒk.ənˌʃpiːl/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “glockenspiel” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
glockenspiel is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡlɒk.ənˌʃpiːl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A musical instrument of the percussion idiophone family of instruments. Like the xylophone, it has tuned bars arranged like the keys on a piano. It is smaller in size and higher in pitch than the x...".
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for glockenspiel, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From German Glockenspiel (literally “bells-set”). The correct English form is glockenspiel, spelled G-L-O-C-K-E-N-S-P-I-E-L.
Definition
- 1A musical instrument of the percussion idiophone family of instruments. Like the xylophone, it has tuned bars arranged like the keys on a piano. It is smaller in size and higher in pitch than the xylophone, and the bars are made of metal instead of wood.
Etymology
From German Glockenspiel (literally “bells-set”).
This word in other languages
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 "glockenspiel"?
What does "glockenspiel" mean?
How do you pronounce "glockenspiel"?
What is the origin of the word "glockenspiel"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “glockenspiel”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-L-O-C-K-E-N-S-P-I-E-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɡlɒk.ənˌʃpiːl/ (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.