ornithological

/ˌɔːnɪθəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkəl/

//ˌɔːnɪθəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkəl// adj

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

"ornithological" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ornithological” is uncommon English (frequency #70,976 among 15,494 “O” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,976
frequency rank, English
15,494
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or pertaining to ornithology.

Key facts for ornithological
PropertyValue
Headwordornithological
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌɔːnɪθəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkəl/
Letters14
Frequency rank#70,976
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ornithological” 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). ornithological 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

ornithological is uncommon English at frequency #70,976 among 15,494 “O” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌɔːnɪθəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Of or pertaining to ornithology.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for ornithological, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ornithology + -ical. The correct English form is ornithological, spelled O-R-N-I-T-H-O-L-O-G-I-C-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to ornithology.

Etymology

From ornithology + -ical.

This word in other languages

ornitológico(Español)ornithologique(Français)ornithologisch(Deutsch)

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 "ornithological"?
"ornithological" is spelled O-R-N-I-T-H-O-L-O-G-I-C-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɔːnɪθəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkəl/.
What does "ornithological" mean?
As an adjective, "ornithological" means: Of or pertaining to ornithology.
How do you pronounce "ornithological"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ornithological" is /ˌɔːnɪθəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkəl/. 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 "ornithological"?
From ornithology + -ical. 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 “ornithological”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is O-R-N-I-T-H-O-L-O-G-I-C-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌɔːnɪθəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkəl/ (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