Basilisk

[baziˈlɪsk]

/[baziˈlɪsk]/ noun

The verdict

“Basilisk” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Mischwesen aus Vogel und Schlange, dessen Blick versteinert

Corpus desk

Index DE-basilisk · Basilisk · German

Basilisk · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for Basilisk
PropertyValue
HeadwordBasilisk
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[baziˈlɪsk]
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Basilisk“ im Deutschen

Basiliskliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Basilisk is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [baziˈlɪsk]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Basilisk, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is Basilisk, spelled B-A-S-I-L-I-S-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mischwesen aus Vogel und Schlange, dessen Blick versteinert
  2. 2
    Wappentier, Mischform aus Hahn, Schlange und Drache
  3. 3
    Leguangattung aus Lateinamerika
  4. 4
    Geschütztyp in der Gruppe der Mauerbrecher

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Der Basilisk wird bei Demokrit zum ersten Mal erwähnt.
  2. „Nach dem Drachen sahen wir noch einen Basilisken, dessen Augen uns nicht erschreckten, sondern zum Lachen brachten.“

Synonyms

Jesus-Christus-Echse

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Basilisk"?
"Basilisk" is spelled B-A-S-I-L-I-S-K. The IPA pronunciation is [baziˈlɪsk].
What does "Basilisk" mean?
As a noun, "Basilisk" means: Mischwesen aus Vogel und Schlange, dessen Blick versteinert
How do you pronounce "Basilisk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Basilisk" is [baziˈlɪsk]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Basilisk" come from?
"Basilisk" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list