xylitol

/ˈzaɪlɪtɑl/

//ˈzaɪlɪtɑl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“xylitol” is uncommon English (frequency #95,618 among 54 “X” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#95,618
frequency rank, English
54
“X” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pentahydric alcohol, C₅H₁₂O₅, penta-hydroxy pentane; derived from xylose; used as a sweetener.

Corpus desk

Index EN-xylitol · xylitol · English

xylitol · rank #95,618 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #95,618
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 54
  • PHOTO-FINISH wus

Nearest frequency peer: wus (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “xylitol”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “xylitol” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for xylitol
PropertyValue
Headwordxylitol
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈzaɪlɪtɑl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#95,618
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “xylitol” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). xylitol lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

xylitol is uncommon English at frequency #95,618 among 54 “X” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈzaɪlɪtɑl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A pentahydric alcohol, C₅H₁₂O₅, penta-hydroxy pentane; derived from xylose; used as a sweetener.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for xylitol, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek ξύλον (xúlon, “wood”) + -itol (“anhydric alcohol”). The correct English form is xylitol, spelled X-Y-L-I-T-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pentahydric alcohol, C₅H₁₂O₅, penta-hydroxy pentane; derived from xylose; used as a sweetener.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. A note of caution to readers with pets: Xylitol is toxic to dogs and can have potentially life-threatening effects. As owners of two doggos ourselves, we encourage anyone with a dog to use extreme caution when bringing xylitol into your home.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ξύλον (xúlon, “wood”) + -itol (“anhydric alcohol”).

Synonyms

E967 when used as a sweetener

This word in other languages

Xylitol(Deutsch)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "xylitol"?
"xylitol" is spelled X-Y-L-I-T-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈzaɪlɪtɑl/.
What does "xylitol" mean?
As a noun, "xylitol" means: A pentahydric alcohol, C₅H₁₂O₅, penta-hydroxy pentane; derived from xylose; used as a sweetener.
How do you pronounce "xylitol"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "xylitol" is /ˈzaɪlɪtɑl/. 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 "xylitol"?
From Ancient Greek ξύλον (xúlon, “wood”) + -itol (“anhydric alcohol”). 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 "xylitol", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

wittily#95,613Winwood#95,612whetted#95,606Westman#95,605

What to do next

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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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list