antibiotic

/ˌæn.ti.baɪˈɒt.ɪk/

//ˌæn.ti.baɪˈɒt.ɪk// noun

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

"antibiotic" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“antibiotic” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,885. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,885
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any substance that can destroy or inhibit the growth of bacteria and similar microorganisms, generally transported by the lymphatic system.

Corpus desk

Index EN-antibiotic · antibiotic · English

antibiotic · rank #14,885 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,885
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH annexed

Nearest frequency peer: annexed (-1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “antibiotic”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “antibiotic” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for antibiotic
PropertyValue
Headwordantibiotic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌæn.ti.baɪˈɒt.ɪk/
Letters10
Frequency rank#14,885
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “antibiotic”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “annexed” (#14,884), “arresting” (#14,886), “annex” (#14,883). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “antibiotic” is #14,885. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around antibiotic (IPA /ˌæn.ti.baɪˈɒt.ɪk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,885 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Any substance that can destroy or inhibit the growth of bacteria and similar microorganisms, generally transported by the lymphatic system.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for antibiotic, with forms such as "anitbiotic", "anntibiotic", and "antbiiotic". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French antibiotique; by surface analysis, anti- + -biotic. The correct English form is antibiotic, spelled A-N-T-I-B-I-O-T-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any substance that can destroy or inhibit the growth of bacteria and similar microorganisms, generally transported by the lymphatic system.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. On a summer visit back to the farm here where I grew up, I think I figured out the central problem with modern industrial agriculture. It’s not just that it produces unhealthy food, mishandles waste and overuses antibiotics in ways that harm us all.
  2. We selected colistimethate sodium (CMS) as our antibiotic of choice.

Etymology

Borrowed from French antibiotique; by surface analysis, anti- + -biotic.

Synonyms

antibiotic

This word in other languages

antibiótico(Español)antibiotique(Français)Antibiotikum(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anitbiotic
  • anntibiotic
  • antbiiotic
  • antibbiotic
  • antibioitc
  • antibiotci
  • antibioticc
  • antibiottic
  • antibitoic
  • antiboitic
  • antiibotic
  • anttibiotic
  • atnibiotic
  • natibiotic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of antibiotic - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

anitbiotic2anntibiotic1antbiiotic2antibbiotic1antibioitc2antibiotci2antibioticc1antibiottic1
Edit distance from "antibiotic"

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

How do you spell "antibiotic"?
"antibiotic" is spelled A-N-T-I-B-I-O-T-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæn.ti.baɪˈɒt.ɪk/.
What does "antibiotic" mean?
As a noun, "antibiotic" means: Any substance that can destroy or inhibit the growth of bacteria and similar microorganisms, generally transported by the lymphatic system.
What are common misspellings of "antibiotic"?
Common misspellings include "anitbiotic", "anntibiotic", "antbiiotic", "antibbiotic", "antibioitc". The correct spelling is "antibiotic".
How do you pronounce "antibiotic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "antibiotic" is /ˌæn.ti.baɪˈɒt.ɪk/. 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 "antibiotic"?
Borrowed from French antibiotique; by surface analysis, anti- + -biotic. 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 "antibiotic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

allegation#14,879witnessing#14,870ultrasound#14,861Burlington#14,911

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

bartender14 variantsabsorbing14 variantssyndicate14 variantssubmerged14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list