olefin

/ˈəʊləfɪn/

//ˈəʊləfɪn// noun

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

The verdict

“olefin” is uncommon English (frequency #78,891 among 15,494 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,891
frequency rank, English
15,494
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of a class of unsaturated open-chain hydrocarbons such as ethylene; an alkene with only one carbon-carbon double bond.

Key facts for olefin
PropertyValue
Headwordolefin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈəʊləfɪn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#78,891
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “olefin” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

olefin is uncommon English at frequency #78,891 among 15,494 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈəʊləfɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any of a class of unsaturated open-chain hydrocarbons such as ethylene; an alkene with only one carbon-carbon double bond.".

olefin has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From olefiant, "oil-producing". The correct English form is olefin, spelled O-L-E-F-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of a class of unsaturated open-chain hydrocarbons such as ethylene; an alkene with only one carbon-carbon double bond.

Etymology

From olefiant, "oil-producing".

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); 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 "olefin"?
"olefin" is spelled O-L-E-F-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈəʊləfɪn/.
What does "olefin" mean?
As a noun, "olefin" means: Any of a class of unsaturated open-chain hydrocarbons such as ethylene; an alkene with only one carbon-carbon double bond.
How do you pronounce "olefin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "olefin" is /ˈəʊləfɪn/. 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 "olefin"?
From olefiant, "oil-producing". 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.

Using “olefin”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is O-L-E-F-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈəʊləfɪn/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list