second language
"second-language" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“second language” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 15
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A language that is spoken by someone but is not their mother tongue.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | second language |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 15 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “second language” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for second language is 15 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A language that is spoken by someone but is not their mother tongue.".
second language 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, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is second language, spelled S-E-C-O-N-D- -L-A-N-G-U-A-G-E.
Definition
- 1A language that is spoken by someone but is not their mother tongue.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “second language”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-E-C-O-N-D- -L-A-N-G-U-A-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.