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 12,113 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #85,933
- frequency rank, English
- 12,113
- “W” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 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...
| 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) |
Where “wavefunction” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
wavefunction is uncommon English at frequency #85,933 among 12,113 “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.
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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Using “wavefunction”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-A-V-E-F-U-N-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈweɪv.fʌŋ(k).ʃən/ (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
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.