ASCII

/ˈæski/

//ˈæski// name

"ascii" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ASCII” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #31,860 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#31,860
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Acronym of American Standard Code for Information Interchange.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ASCII vs Asi
20% similar
ASCII vs Asia
20% similar
ASCII vs ASIC
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ASCII
PropertyValue
HeadwordASCII
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈæski/
Letters5
Frequency rank#31,860
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ASCII” 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). ASCII lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for ASCII is 5 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈæski/. Corpus data places it at rank #31,860 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Acronym of American Standard Code for Information Interchange.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for ASCII, with forms such as "acsii", "asccii", and "asci". 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. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "Asi", "Asia", "ASIC", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is ASCII, spelled A-S-C-I-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Acronym of American Standard Code for Information Interchange.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acsii,asccii,asci,asici,asscii,sacii

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ASCII - 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.

acsii2asccii1asci1asici2asscii1sacii2
Edit distance from "ASCII"

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 "ASCII"?
"ASCII" is spelled A-S-C-I-I. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæski/.
What does "ASCII" mean?
As a proper noun, "ASCII" means: Acronym of American Standard Code for Information Interchange.
What words are commonly confused with "ASCII"?
"ASCII" is commonly confused with "Asi", "Asia", "ASIC". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ASCII"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ASCII" is /ˈæski/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ASCII" come from?
"ASCII" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “ASCII”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-S-C-I-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈæski/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Asi” - see the side-by-side comparison. ASCII vs Asi
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list