acid test
/ˌæsɪd ˈtɛst/
"acid-test" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“acid test” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A test involving the reaction of an acid with another chemical.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | acid test |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌæsɪd ˈtɛst/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “acid test” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
acid test is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌæsɪd ˈtɛst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for acid test in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From acid + test; sense 1 (“test involving the reaction of an acid with another chemical”) and sense 2 (“rigorous test or appraisal of the quality or worth of something”) refer to the use of nitric acid to test if a metal is gold; true gold is not affected … The correct English form is acid test, spelled A-C-I-D- -T-E-S-T.
Definition
- 1A test involving the reaction of an acid with another chemical.
- 2A rigorous test or appraisal of the quality or worth of something.
- 3In the 1960s, a party based around the use and advocacy of the psychedelic drug LSD (known in slang as acid).
Etymology
From acid + test; sense 1 (“test involving the reaction of an acid with another chemical”) and sense 2 (“rigorous test or appraisal of the quality or worth of something”) refer to the use of nitric acid to test if a metal is gold; true gold is not affected by the acid. Sense 3 (“party based around the use and advocacy of the psychedelic drug LSD”) is a pun referencing the slang term acid (“LSD”). The original “acid test” parties were thrown by the Merry Pranksters group between 1965 and 1966 and advertised by the slogan “Can you pass the acid test?”
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
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Using “acid test”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-C-I-D- -T-E-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌæsɪd ˈtɛst/ (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
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.