arachnid

/əˈɹæknɪd/

//əˈɹæknɪd// noun

"arachnid" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“arachnid” is uncommon English (frequency #65,694 among 35,202 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,694
frequency rank, English
35,202
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of the eight-legged creatures, including spiders, mites, and scorpions, of the class Arachnida.

Key facts for arachnid
PropertyValue
Headwordarachnid
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈɹæknɪd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#65,694
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “arachnid” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

arachnid is uncommon English at frequency #65,694 among 35,202 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /əˈɹæknɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any of the eight-legged creatures, including spiders, mites, and scorpions, of the class Arachnida.".

arachnid doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From international scientific vocabulary, from French arachnide (1809, Lamarck), from New Latin, from Ancient Greek ἀράχνη (arákhnē, “spider”) with the suffix -id. By surface analysis, arachn- + -id. The correct English form is arachnid, spelled A-R-A-C-H-N-I-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the eight-legged creatures, including spiders, mites, and scorpions, of the class Arachnida.

Etymology

From international scientific vocabulary, from French arachnide (1809, Lamarck), from New Latin, from Ancient Greek ἀράχνη (arákhnē, “spider”) with the suffix -id. By surface analysis, arachn- + -id.

Synonyms

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); 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 "arachnid"?
"arachnid" is spelled A-R-A-C-H-N-I-D. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈɹæknɪd/.
What does "arachnid" mean?
As a noun, "arachnid" means: Any of the eight-legged creatures, including spiders, mites, and scorpions, of the class Arachnida.
How do you pronounce "arachnid"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "arachnid" is /əˈɹæknɪd/. 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 "arachnid"?
From international scientific vocabulary, from French arachnide (1809, Lamarck), from New Latin, from Ancient Greek ἀράχνη (arákhnē, “spider”) with the suffix -id. By surface analysis, arachn- + -id. 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.

Using “arachnid”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-R-A-C-H-N-I-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈɹæknɪd/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list