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pylon

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "pylon", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "pylon" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "pylon" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

pylon is aEnglishnoun. It means: A gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple. Pronounced /ˈpaɪ.lɒn/. Often confused with Python and pon.

Key facts for pylon
PropertyValue
Headwordpylon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpaɪ.lɒn/
Letters5
Frequency rank#43,325
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of pylon in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for pylon is 5 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpaɪ.lɒn/. Corpus data places it at rank #43,325 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 8 documented wrong-spelling variants for pylon, with forms such as "plyon", "ppylon", and "pyllon". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "Python", "pon", "plan", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πυλών (pulṓn, “gateway”). Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is pylon, spelled P-Y-L-O-N, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple.
  2. 2
    A tower-like structure, usually one of a series, used to support high-voltage electricity cables.
  3. 3
    A tall steel or concrete tower from which cables are strung.
  4. 4
    A lighting mast; a freestanding support for floodlights.
  5. 5
    A structure used to mount engines, missiles etc., to the underside of an aircraft wing or fuselage.
  6. 6
    A starting derrick for an aeroplane.
  7. 7
    A post, tower, etc. as on an aerodrome, or flying ground, serving to bound or mark a prescribed course of flight.
  8. 8
    An obelisk.
  9. 9
    A traffic cone.
  10. 10
    An orange marker designating one of the four corners of the end zone in American football.
  11. 11
    An ineffective, useless player.
  12. 12
    A rigid prosthesis for the lower leg.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πυλών (pulṓn, “gateway”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: plyon,ppylon,pyllon,pylno,pylonn,pyoln,pyylon,yplon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for pylon

Misspelling Variants of "pylon"

plyon5ppylon6pyllon6pylno5pylonn6pyoln5pyylon6yplon5
Misspelling Variants of "pylon"

Frequency rank: #43,325 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pylon"?
"pylon" is spelled P-Y-L-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpaɪ.lɒn/.
What does "pylon" mean?
As a noun, "pylon" means: A gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple.
What words are commonly confused with "pylon"?
"pylon" is commonly confused with "Python", "pon", "plan". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pylon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pylon" is /ˈpaɪ.lɒn/. 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 "pylon"?
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πυλών (pulṓn, “gateway”). 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter P in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.