aspic

/ˈæspɪk/

//ˈæspɪk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“aspic” is uncommon English (frequency #85,003 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,003
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A meat or fish jelly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-aspic · aspic · English

aspic · rank #85,003 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,003
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH ASVAB

Nearest frequency peer: ASVAB (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “aspic”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “aspic” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for aspic
PropertyValue
Headwordaspic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæspɪk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#85,003
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “aspic” in English

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).aspicfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “ASVAB” (#85,004), “Asoka” (#85,001), “ascites” (#85,000). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “aspic” is #85,003. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

aspic is uncommon English at frequency #85,003 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈæspɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for aspic in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French aspic, from Latin aspis, and possibly influenced by French basilic (“basilisk”). The culinary sense may come from association with the snake due to the traditional colors and cold temperature of aspic, in addition to the fact that the g… The correct English form is aspic, spelled A-S-P-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    A meat or fish jelly.
  2. 2
    A dish in which ingredients are set into a gelatine, jelly-like substance made from a meat stock or consommé.
  3. 3
    An asp, a small venomous snake of Egypt.
  4. 4
    A light cannon firing a two-pound ball.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. “Put a little aspic in the mould, so as to cover the bottom ···“
  2. "I don't know what you mean, Mr. Wynand," whispered Keating. His eyes fixed upon the tomato aspic on his salad plate; it was soft and shivering; it made him sick.

Etymology

Borrowed from French aspic, from Latin aspis, and possibly influenced by French basilic (“basilisk”). The culinary sense may come from association with the snake due to the traditional colors and cold temperature of aspic, in addition to the fact that the gelatin was often molded in a shape similar to a coiled snake.

This word in other languages

queso de cabeza(Español)aspic(Français)Sülze(Deutsch)

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 "aspic"?
"aspic" is spelled A-S-P-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæspɪk/.
What does "aspic" mean?
As a noun, "aspic" means: A meat or fish jelly.
How do you pronounce "aspic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aspic" is /ˈæspɪk/. 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 "aspic"?
Borrowed from French aspic, from Latin aspis, and possibly influenced by French basilic (“basilisk”). The culinary sense may come from association with the snake due to the traditional colors and cold temperature of aspic, in addition to the fact ... 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 "aspic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ASVAB#85,004Asoka#85,001Arnab#84,997Arata#84,992

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list