ukulele

/juː.kəˈleɪ.li/

//juː.kəˈleɪ.li// noun

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

"ukulele" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ukulele” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,773. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,773
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
9
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small four-stringed guitar.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ukulele · ukulele · English

ukulele · rank #28,773 · 9 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,773
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH UMP

Nearest frequency peer: UMP (+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 “ukulele”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ukulele” 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 ukulele
PropertyValue
Headwordukulele
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/juː.kəˈleɪ.li/
Letters7
Frequency rank#28,773
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ukulele”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).ukulelelands 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 “UMP” (#28,774), “unauthorised” (#28,775), “typos” (#28,770). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “ukulele” is #28,773. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around ukulele (IPA /juː.kəˈleɪ.li/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,773 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A small four-stringed guitar.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for ukulele, with forms such as "kuulele", "ukkulele", and "ukluele". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻukulele, from ʻuku (“flea”) + lele (“jump, jumping”). The correct English form is ukulele, spelled U-K-U-L-E-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small four-stringed guitar.

Etymology

Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻukulele, from ʻuku (“flea”) + lele (“jump, jumping”).

This word in other languages

ukelele(Español)ukulélé(Français)Ukulele(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • kuulele
  • ukkulele
  • ukluele
  • ukuelle
  • ukuleel
  • ukulelle
  • ukullee
  • ukullele
  • uuklele

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

kuulele2ukkulele1ukluele2ukuelle2ukuleel2ukulelle1ukullee2ukullele1
Edit distance from "ukulele"

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 "ukulele"?
"ukulele" is spelled U-K-U-L-E-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /juː.kəˈleɪ.li/.
What does "ukulele" mean?
As a noun, "ukulele" means: A small four-stringed guitar.
What are common misspellings of "ukulele"?
Common misspellings include "kuulele", "ukkulele", "ukluele", "ukuelle", "ukuleel". The correct spelling is "ukulele".
How do you pronounce "ukulele"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ukulele" is /juː.kəˈleɪ.li/. 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 "ukulele"?
Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻukulele, from ʻuku (“flea”) + lele (“jump, jumping”). 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 "ukulele", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tumbled#28,766sweetly#28,747yoghurt#28,800stipend#28,742

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Xander9 variantsabject9 variantsstanza9 variantsspicer9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list