asbestos
/æsˈbɛs.tɒs/
"asbestos" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“asbestos” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,068 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #14,068
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | asbestos |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /æsˈbɛs.tɒs/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #14,068 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “asbestos” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for asbestos is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /æsˈbɛs.tɒs/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,068 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1Any of several fibrous mineral forms of magnesium silicate, used for fireproofing, electrical insulation, building materials, brake linings, chemical filters, suits, fireman's gloves, etc.
- 2Any of asbestos-like forms of several minerals, asbestiforms
- 3The supposed material composing part of the body that is impervious to heat, or by extension other unpleasant sensations; especially hot or spicy food.
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
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.
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"?
What does "asbestos" mean?
What are common misspellings of "asbestos"?
How do you pronounce "asbestos"?
What is the origin of the word "asbestos"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “asbestos”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-S-B-E-S-T-O-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /æsˈbɛs.tɒs/ (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.