state-of-the-art

adj

"state-of-the-art" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“state-of-the-art” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
16
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Alternative form of state of the art.

Corpus desk

Index EN-state-of-the-art · state-of-the-art · English

state-of-the-art · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 16 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for state-of-the-art
PropertyValue
Headwordstate-of-the-art
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters16
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “state-of-the-art” in English

state-of-the-artfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

state-of-the-art is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Alternative form of state of the art.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for state-of-the-art, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is state-of-the-art, spelled S-T-A-T-E---O-F---T-H-E---A-R-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Alternative form of state of the art.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A basic hands-on kit that introduces you to good soldering techniques while working on state-of-the-art printed circuit board circuits. You will learn the basics of digital multimeters and circuit troubleshooting.
  2. Announcing the deal on December 9, Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said: "Today's announcement places Britain firmly at the forefront of the high-speed rail revolution, with these state-of-the-art trains serving communities right across the country from London to Glasgow."

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

How do you spell "state-of-the-art"?
"state-of-the-art" is spelled S-T-A-T-E---O-F---T-H-E---A-R-T.
What does "state-of-the-art" mean?
As an adjective, "state-of-the-art" means: Alternative form of state of the art.
What language does "state-of-the-art" come from?
"state-of-the-art" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list