asbestos

/æsˈbɛs.tɒs/

//æsˈbɛs.tɒs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“asbestos” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,068. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,068
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several fibrous mineral forms of magnesium silicate, used for fireproofing, electrical insulation, building materials, brake linings, chemical filters, suits, fireman's gloves, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-asbestos · asbestos · English

asbestos · rank #14,068 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,068
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH articulate

Nearest frequency peer: articulate (-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 “asbestos”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “asbestos” 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 asbestos
PropertyValue
Headwordasbestos
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/æsˈbɛs.tɒs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#14,068
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “asbestos”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).asbestoslands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “articulate” (#14,067), “Ariel” (#14,066), “avoidance” (#14,070). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “asbestos” is #14,068. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around asbestos (IPA /æsˈbɛs.tɒs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,068 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for asbestos, with forms such as "absestos", "asbbestos", and "asbesots". 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. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Hellenic *ə- Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) Proto-Indo-European *(s)gʷes-der.? Ancient Greek σβέννῡμῐ (sbénnūmĭ) Ancient Greek σβεστός (sbestós) Ancient Greek ἄσβεστος (ásbestos)bor. Latin asbesto… The correct English form is asbestos, spelled A-S-B-E-S-T-O-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several fibrous mineral forms of magnesium silicate, used for fireproofing, electrical insulation, building materials, brake linings, chemical filters, suits, fireman's gloves, etc.
  2. 2
    Any of asbestos-like forms of several minerals, asbestiforms
  3. 3
    The supposed material composing part of the body that is impervious to heat, or by extension other unpleasant sensations; especially hot or spicy food.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. All types of asbestos are potentially carcinogenic when inhaled.
  2. Asbestos insulation was once ubiquitous.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Hellenic *ə- Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) Proto-Indo-European *(s)gʷes-der.? Ancient Greek σβέννῡμῐ (sbénnūmĭ) Ancient Greek σβεστός (sbestós) Ancient Greek ἄσβεστος (ásbestos)bor. Latin asbestosbor. Old French abestosder. English asbestos From Old French abestos, from Latin asbestos, itself from Ancient Greek ἄσβεστος (ásbestos, “unquenchable, inextinguishable”), from ᾰ̓- (ă-, “not”) + σβέννῡμῐ (sbénnūmĭ, “I quench, quell”).

This word in other languages

asbesto(Español)amiante(Français)Asbest(Deutsch)asbesto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • absestos
  • asbbestos
  • asbesots
  • asbesstos
  • asbestoss
  • asbestso
  • asbesttos
  • asbetsos
  • asbsetos
  • asebstos
  • assbestos
  • sabestos

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of asbestos - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

absestos2asbbestos1asbesots2asbesstos1asbestoss1asbestso2asbesttos1asbetsos2
Edit distance from "asbestos"

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 "asbestos"?
"asbestos" is spelled A-S-B-E-S-T-O-S. The IPA pronunciation is /æsˈbɛs.tɒs/.
What does "asbestos" mean?
As a noun, "asbestos" means: Any of several fibrous mineral forms of magnesium silicate, used for fireproofing, electrical insulation, building materials, brake linings, chemical filters, suits, fireman's gloves, etc.
What are common misspellings of "asbestos"?
Common misspellings include "absestos", "asbbestos", "asbesots", "asbesstos", "asbestoss". The correct spelling is "asbestos".
How do you pronounce "asbestos"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "asbestos" is /æsˈbɛs.tɒs/. 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 "asbestos"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Hellenic *ə- Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) Proto-Indo-European *(s)gʷes-der.? Ancient Greek σβέννῡμῐ (sbénnūmĭ) Ancient Greek σβεστός (sbestós) Ancient Greek ἄσβεστος (ásbestos)bor. Lat... 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 "asbestos", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

boutique#14,075academia#14,057Abdullah#14,056trailing#14,038

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

telegram12 variantsdealings12 variantsspirited12 variantsdownside12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list