saxophone

/ˈsæksəfoʊn/

//ˈsæksəfoʊn// noun

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

"saxophone" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“saxophone” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,983. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,983
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A single-reed instrument musical instrument of the woodwind family, usually made of brass and with a distinctive loop bringing the bell upwards.

Corpus desk

Index EN-saxophone · saxophone · English

saxophone · rank #23,983 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,983
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sax

Nearest frequency peer: sax (-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 “saxophone”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “saxophone” 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
Key facts for saxophone
PropertyValue
Headwordsaxophone
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsæksəfoʊn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#23,983
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “saxophone”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).saxophonelands 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 “sax” (#23,982), “Samaritan” (#23,981), “Schuster” (#23,985). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “saxophone” is #23,983. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around saxophone (IPA /ˈsæksəfoʊn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,983 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for saxophone, with forms such as "asxophone", "saoxphone", and "saxohpone". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French saxophone, a combination of the surname of its inventor Adolphe Sax (1814–1894) + -o- + -phone (“something that makes a sound”), from Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound, voice”). The first element surname is a variant of the German Sachs… The correct English form is saxophone, spelled S-A-X-O-P-H-O-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A single-reed instrument musical instrument of the woodwind family, usually made of brass and with a distinctive loop bringing the bell upwards.
  2. 2
    Someone who plays the saxophone; a saxophonist.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I played the saxophone in high school.
  2. The saxophones typically sit behind the flutes in a concert band.

Etymology

Borrowed from French saxophone, a combination of the surname of its inventor Adolphe Sax (1814–1894) + -o- + -phone (“something that makes a sound”), from Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound, voice”). The first element surname is a variant of the German Sachs (“Saxon”). Analyzable as Sax + -o- + -phone.

This word in other languages

saxofón(Español)saxophone(Français)Saxofon(Deutsch)saxofone(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asxophone
  • saoxphone
  • saxohpone
  • saxophhone
  • saxophnoe
  • saxophoen
  • saxophonne
  • saxopohne
  • saxopphone
  • saxpohone
  • saxxophone
  • ssaxophone
  • sxaophone

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of saxophone - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

asxophone2saoxphone2saxohpone2saxophhone1saxophnoe2saxophoen2saxophonne1saxopohne2
Edit distance from "saxophone"

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 "saxophone"?
"saxophone" is spelled S-A-X-O-P-H-O-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsæksəfoʊn/.
What does "saxophone" mean?
As a noun, "saxophone" means: A single-reed instrument musical instrument of the woodwind family, usually made of brass and with a distinctive loop bringing the bell upwards.
What are common misspellings of "saxophone"?
Common misspellings include "asxophone", "saoxphone", "saxohpone", "saxophhone", "saxophnoe". The correct spelling is "saxophone".
How do you pronounce "saxophone"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "saxophone" is /ˈsæksəfoʊn/. 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 "saxophone"?
Borrowed from French saxophone, a combination of the surname of its inventor Adolphe Sax (1814–1894) + -o- + -phone (“something that makes a sound”), from Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound, voice”). The first element surname is a variant of the Ge... 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 "saxophone", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Samaritan#23,981Rotherham#23,978shellfish#23,991showering#23,993

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Schuster13 variantsshrapnel13 variantsquadruple13 variantsthwarted13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list