apoptosis

/ˌapɒpˈtəʊsɪs/

//ˌapɒpˈtəʊsɪs// noun

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

"apoptosis" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“apoptosis” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,163. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,163
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A process of programmed cell death by which cells undergo an ordered sequence of events which leads to death of the cell, as occurs during growth and development of the organism, as a part of norma...

Corpus desk

Index EN-apoptosis · apoptosis · English

apoptosis · rank #29,163 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,163
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH apologetic

Nearest frequency peer: apologetic (-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 “apoptosis”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “apoptosis” 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 apoptosis
PropertyValue
Headwordapoptosis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌapɒpˈtəʊsɪs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#29,163
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “apoptosis”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).apoptosislands 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 “apologetic” (#29,162), “arcane” (#29,165), “Argo” (#29,166). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “apoptosis” is #29,163. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around apoptosis (IPA /ˌapɒpˈtəʊsɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,163 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A process of programmed cell death by which cells undergo an ordered sequence of events which leads to death of the cell, as occurs during growth and development of the organism, as a part of norma...".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for apoptosis, with forms such as "aopptosis", "apopotsis", and "apopptosis". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek ἀπόπτωσις (apóptōsis, “a falling off”), from ἀπό (apó, “away from”) + πτῶσις (ptôsis, “falling”). The correct English form is apoptosis, spelled A-P-O-P-T-O-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A process of programmed cell death by which cells undergo an ordered sequence of events which leads to death of the cell, as occurs during growth and development of the organism, as a part of normal cell aging, or as a response to cellular injury.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The term apoptosis is proposed for a hitherto little recognized mechanism of controlled cell deletion, which appears to play a complementary but opposite role to mitosis in the regulation of animal cell populations.
  2. Indeed, so important is apoptosis that it is gradually becoming clear that almost all therapeutic cancer treatment works only because it induces apoptosis by alerting p53 and its colleagues.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀπόπτωσις (apóptōsis, “a falling off”), from ἀπό (apó, “away from”) + πτῶσις (ptôsis, “falling”).

This word in other languages

apoptosis(Español)apoptose(Français)Apoptose(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aopptosis
  • apopotsis
  • apopptosis
  • apoptoiss
  • apoptosiss
  • apoptossi
  • apoptossis
  • apoptsois
  • apopttosis
  • apotposis
  • appoptosis
  • appotosis
  • paoptosis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of apoptosis - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aopptosis2apopotsis2apopptosis1apoptoiss2apoptosiss1apoptossi2apoptossis1apoptsois2
Edit distance from "apoptosis"

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 "apoptosis"?
"apoptosis" is spelled A-P-O-P-T-O-S-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌapɒpˈtəʊsɪs/.
What does "apoptosis" mean?
As a noun, "apoptosis" means: A process of programmed cell death by which cells undergo an ordered sequence of events which leads to death of the cell, as occurs during growth and development of the organism, as a part of norma...
What are common misspellings of "apoptosis"?
Common misspellings include "aopptosis", "apopotsis", "apopptosis", "apoptoiss", "apoptosiss". The correct spelling is "apoptosis".
How do you pronounce "apoptosis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "apoptosis" is /ˌapɒpˈtəʊsɪs/. 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 "apoptosis"?
From Ancient Greek ἀπόπτωσις (apóptōsis, “a falling off”), from ἀπό (apó, “away from”) + πτῶσις (ptôsis, “falling”). 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 "apoptosis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

agonizing#29,155whiteness#29,145biometric#29,188blackened#29,189

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Bancroft13 variantswrinkled13 variantstricking13 variantstravesty13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list