wavefunction
/ˈweɪv.fʌŋ(k).ʃən/
"wavefunction" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“wavefunction” is uncommon English (frequency #85,933 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #85,933
- frequency rank, English
- 1,759
- “W” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mathematical function that describes the propagation of the quantum mechanical wave associated with a particle (or system of particles), related to the probability of finding the particle in a pa...
Corpus desk
Index EN-wavefunction · wavefunction · English
wavefunction · rank #85,933 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #85,933
- LEN-MEGA 12 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 1,759
- PHOTO-FINISH Wangaratta
Nearest frequency peer: Wangaratta (-2 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.
Long-tail ranks near “wavefunction”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- waked
waked
14,073 corpus weight
- Wallsend
Wallsend
14,071 corpus weight
- Wangaratta
Wangaratta
14,070 corpus weight
- wavefunction
wavefunction
14,068 corpus weight
- Wechsler
Wechsler
14,066 corpus weight
- Wertheim
Wertheim
14,065 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “wavefunction” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | wavefunction |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈweɪv.fʌŋ(k).ʃən/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #85,933 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “wavefunction” in English
Rare enough to double-check
wavefunction is uncommon English at frequency #85,933 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈweɪv.fʌŋ(k).ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A mathematical function that describes the propagation of the quantum mechanical wave associated with a particle (or system of particles), related to the probability of finding the particle in a pa...".
wavefunction doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From wave + function. The correct English form is wavefunction, spelled W-A-V-E-F-U-N-C-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1A mathematical function that describes the propagation of the quantum mechanical wave associated with a particle (or system of particles), related to the probability of finding the particle in a particular region of space.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how wavefunction appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The interpretation of the wavefunction was one of the thorny issues facing the early pioneers of quantum theory.
Etymology
From wave + function.
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); 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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "wavefunction", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).