seaplane

/ˈsiˌpleɪn/

//ˈsiˌpleɪn// noun

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

"seaplane" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“seaplane” is uncommon English (frequency #50,793 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,793
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any aircraft capable of taking off from, and alighting on the surface of water.

Key facts for seaplane
PropertyValue
Headwordseaplane
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsiˌpleɪn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#50,793
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “seaplane” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). seaplane lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

seaplane is uncommon English at frequency #50,793 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsiˌpleɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any aircraft capable of taking off from, and alighting on the surface of water.".

seaplane doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sea + plane. Supposedly coined by Winston Churchill. The correct English form is seaplane, spelled S-E-A-P-L-A-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any aircraft capable of taking off from, and alighting on the surface of water.

Etymology

From sea + plane. Supposedly coined by Winston Churchill.

This word in other languages

hidroavión(Español)hydravion(Français)Wasserflugzeug(Deutsch)

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 "seaplane"?
"seaplane" is spelled S-E-A-P-L-A-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsiˌpleɪn/.
What does "seaplane" mean?
As a noun, "seaplane" means: Any aircraft capable of taking off from, and alighting on the surface of water.
How do you pronounce "seaplane"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "seaplane" is /ˈsiˌpleɪn/. 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 "seaplane"?
From sea + plane. Supposedly coined by Winston Churchill. 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.

Using “seaplane”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-E-A-P-L-A-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsiˌpleɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list