ultraviolet
/ˌʌltɹəˈvaɪələt/
"ultraviolet" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ultraviolet” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,978 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #18,978
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 16
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of electromagnetic radiation beyond (higher in frequency than) light visible to the human eye; radiation with wavelengths from 380 to 10 nanometres.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ultraviolet |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌʌltɹəˈvaɪələt/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #18,978 |
| Misspellings tracked | 16 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ultraviolet” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for ultraviolet is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌʌltɹəˈvaɪələt/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,978 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for ultraviolet, with forms such as "lutraviolet", "ulltraviolet", and "ulrtaviolet". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Latin ūls Proto-Indo-European *-teros? Latin -ter Old Latin -ād Latin -ā Latin ultrālbor. English ultra- Latin viola Old French -ette Old French violettebor. Middle English violet English violet English ultraviolet … The correct English form is ultraviolet, spelled U-L-T-R-A-V-I-O-L-E-T.
Definition
- 1Of electromagnetic radiation beyond (higher in frequency than) light visible to the human eye; radiation with wavelengths from 380 to 10 nanometres.
- 2Relating to very high energies or very small distances or time spans.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Latin ūls Proto-Indo-European *-teros? Latin -ter Old Latin -ād Latin -ā Latin ultrālbor. English ultra- Latin viola Old French -ette Old French violettebor. Middle English violet English violet English ultraviolet From ultra- (“beyond”) + violet (“violet”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: lutraviolet,ulltraviolet,ulrtaviolet,ultarviolet,ultraivolet,ultraviloet,ultravioelt,ultraviolett,ultraviollet,ultraviolte,ultravoilet,ultravviolet,ultrraviolet,ultrvaiolet,ulttraviolet,utlraviolet
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ultraviolet - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "ultraviolet"?
What does "ultraviolet" mean?
What are common misspellings of "ultraviolet"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “ultraviolet”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is U-L-T-R-A-V-I-O-L-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌʌltɹəˈvaɪələt/ (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
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.