Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

airplane

/ˈɛɹˌpleɪ̯n/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.92 in modern English

Syllables: air-plane
IPA: /ˈɛɹˌpleɪ̯n/

10

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings: a fixed-wing aircraft with at least one engine or electric motor.

Canadian usage; American usage

noun

A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings: a fixed-wing aircraft with at least one engine or electric motor.

Canadian usage; American usage

noun

Any of various small flyable objects that are notionally comparable to such aircraft but aren't powered.

noun

A game to encourage small children to eat, in which the parent or carer pretends that a spoonful of food is an aircraft flying into the child's mouth; the spoonful itself.

Canadian usage; American usage

verb

To fly in an aeroplane.

Intransitive verb

verb

To transport by aeroplane.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"on an airplane"
"jet airplane"
"RC airplane"
"They use airplanes to deliver mail and supplies to the far northern villages."
"toy airplane"
"paper airplane"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- Proto-Indo-European *-r Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér Proto-Hellenic *auhḗr Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)bor. Latin āēr Old French airbor. Middle English aire English air ▲ Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr) Ancient Greek πλανάω (planáō) Ancient Greek -ος (-os) Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ερόπλᾰνος (āeróplănos)der. French aéroplanebor. English aeroplaneclip. English plane English airplane From air + plane as an alteration of aeroplane.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɛɹˌpleɪ̯n/
British English: /ˈɛəˌpleɪ̯n/

Usage

Inflected Forms

airplanes (plural) aeroplane (alternative) aëroplane (alternative) plane (alternative) airplanes (present, singular) airplaning (participle, present) airplaned (participle, past) airplaned (past)

Derived Forms

airplaneful airplanelike airplanist

Phrases

airplane cloth airplane ears airplane mode airplane ticket here comes the airplane hydro-airplane paper airplane rubber band airplane

Frequently Paired Words

glider helicopter drone UAV UAS hovercraft watercraft vessel

Synonyms

choo-choo train aeroplane plane

Questions

How do you pronounce airplane?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɛɹˌpleɪ̯n/.
What does airplane mean?: A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings: a fixed-wing aircraft with at least one engine or electric motor.
Where does airplane come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- Proto-Indo-European *-r Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér Proto-Hellenic *auhḗr Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)bor. Latin āēr Old French airbor. Middle English aire English air ▲ Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr) Ancient Greek πλανάω (planáō) Ancient Greek -ος (-os) Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ερόπλᾰνος (āeróplănos)der. French aéroplanebor. English aeroplaneclip. English plane English airplane From air + plane as an alteration of aeroplane.

How to pronounce airplane

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “airplane”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɛɹˌpleɪ̯n/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “airplane”.
Repeat and practice — Say “airplane” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.