phonograph

/ˈfəʊnəˌɡɹɑːf/

//ˈfəʊnəˌɡɹɑːf// noun

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

"phonograph" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“phonograph” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,958. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,958
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A device that captures sound waves onto an engraved archive; a lathe.

Corpus desk

Index EN-phonograph · phonograph · English

phonograph · rank #39,958 · 16 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,958
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH piggyback

Nearest frequency peer: piggyback (+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 “phonograph”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “phonograph” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

phonograph vs photograph
90% similar
phonograph vs photography
82% similar
phonograph vs photographs
82% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for phonograph
PropertyValue
Headwordphonograph
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfəʊnəˌɡɹɑːf/
Letters10
Frequency rank#39,958
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “phonograph”

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).phonographlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “piggyback” (#39,959), “petitioning” (#39,955), “planetarium” (#39,961). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “phonograph” is #39,958. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around phonograph (IPA /ˈfəʊnəˌɡɹɑːf/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,958 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for phonograph, with forms such as "hponograph", "phhonograph", and "phnoograph". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "photograph", "photography", "photographs", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From phono- + -graph. The correct English form is phonograph, spelled P-H-O-N-O-G-R-A-P-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A device that captures sound waves onto an engraved archive; a lathe.
  2. 2
    A device that records or plays sound from cylinder records.
  3. 3
    A record player.
  4. 4
    A character or symbol used to represent a sound, especially one used in phonography.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. […]I've knew people that if they got a rag rug on the floor and a kewpie doll lamp on the phonograph they think they're runnin' a parlor house.'

Etymology

From phono- + -graph.

Synonyms

talking phonographgramophonerecord player

This word in other languages

fonógrafo(Español)Phonograph(Deutsch)fonógrafo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hponograph
  • phhonograph
  • phnoograph
  • phongoraph
  • phonnograph
  • phonogarph
  • phonoggraph
  • phonograhp
  • phonographh
  • phonograpph
  • phonogrpah
  • phonogrraph
  • phonorgaph
  • phoongraph
  • pohnograph
  • pphonograph

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of phonograph - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

hponograph2phhonograph1phnoograph2phongoraph2phonnograph1phonogarph2phonoggraph1phonograhp2
Edit distance from "phonograph"

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 "phonograph"?
"phonograph" is spelled P-H-O-N-O-G-R-A-P-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfəʊnəˌɡɹɑːf/.
What does "phonograph" mean?
As a noun, "phonograph" means: A device that captures sound waves onto an engraved archive; a lathe.
What words are commonly confused with "phonograph"?
"phonograph" is commonly confused with "photograph", "photography", "photographs". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "phonograph"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "phonograph" is /ˈfəʊnəˌɡɹɑːf/. 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 "phonograph"?
From phono- + -graph. 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 "phonograph", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pejorative#39,950patterning#39,949Panamanian#39,947premarital#39,970

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

planetarium16 variantspetitioning16 variantsnonchalant16 variantsmolybdenum16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list