ornithology

/ˌɔːnɪˈθɒlədʒi/

//ˌɔːnɪˈθɒlədʒi// noun

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

"ornithology" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ornithology” is uncommon English (frequency #51,891 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,891
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The branch of zoology that deals with the scientific study of birds.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ornithology · ornithology · English

ornithology · rank #51,891 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,891
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH optioned

Nearest frequency peer: optioned (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “ornithology”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ornithology” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ornithology
PropertyValue
Headwordornithology
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɔːnɪˈθɒlədʒi/
Letters11
Frequency rank#51,891
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ornithology” in English

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).ornithologyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “optioned” (#51,890), “orthodontist” (#51,892), “Onslow” (#51,889). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “ornithology” is #51,891. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ornithology is uncommon English at frequency #51,891 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌɔːnɪˈθɒlədʒi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The branch of zoology that deals with the scientific study of birds.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ornithology, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From New Latin ornithologia, coined by Ulisse Aldrovandi from Ancient Greek ὀρνιθολόγος (ornithológos), from ὄρνις (órnis) and λόγος (lógos). See also ornitho- + -logy. The correct English form is ornithology, spelled O-R-N-I-T-H-O-L-O-G-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The branch of zoology that deals with the scientific study of birds.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Gesner says in his Ornithology, that this fact was attested by a great many moderns of his own time, and he even quotes Albert the great, who asserts that he has seen a cock foster chickens.
  2. Jerome A. Jackson, an ivory bill specialist at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, has now increased the intensity of the discussion in a 15-page article in the current issue of The Auk, a quarterly ornithology journal published by the American Ornithologists' Union.

Etymology

From New Latin ornithologia, coined by Ulisse Aldrovandi from Ancient Greek ὀρνιθολόγος (ornithológos), from ὄρνις (órnis) and λόγος (lógos). See also ornitho- + -logy.

This word in other languages

ornitología(Español)ornithologie(Français)Ornithologie(Deutsch)ornitologia(Português)

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 "ornithology"?
"ornithology" is spelled O-R-N-I-T-H-O-L-O-G-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɔːnɪˈθɒlədʒi/.
What does "ornithology" mean?
As a noun, "ornithology" means: The branch of zoology that deals with the scientific study of birds.
How do you pronounce "ornithology"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ornithology" is /ˌɔːnɪˈθɒlədʒi/. 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 "ornithology"?
From New Latin ornithologia, coined by Ulisse Aldrovandi from Ancient Greek ὀρνιθολόγος (ornithológos), from ὄρνις (órnis) and λόγος (lógos). See also ornitho- + -logy. 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 "ornithology", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

overcharged#51,894Mountbatten#51,857masochistic#51,844ratatouille#51,943

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list