# phonology

> English word · Noun · IPA /fəˈnɒləd͡ʒi/ · frequency rank #43,844

## Definitions
1. The study of the way sounds function in languages, including accent, intonation, phonemes, stress, and syllable structure, and which sounds are distinctive units within a language; (countable) the way sounds function within a given language; a phonological system.
2. The study of the way components of signs function in a sign language, and which components are distinctive units within the language; (countable) the way components of signs function within a given sign language.

## Etymology
From phono- (prefix denoting sound) + -logy (suffix denoting a branch of learning, or a study of a particular subject).

## Easily confused with
- **philology** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/philology-vs-phonology)

## Common misspellings (14)
`hponology`, `phhonology`, `phnoology`, `phonloogy`, `phonnology`, `phonolgoy`, `phonollogy`, `phonologgy`, `phonologyy`, `phonoloyg`, `phonoolgy`, `phoonlogy`, `pohnology`, `pphonology`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/phonology