asterisk
/ˈæstəɹɪsk/
"asterisk" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“asterisk” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,058. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #27,058
- frequency rank, English
- 3,931
- “A” headwords
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.
Corpus desk
Index EN-asterisk · asterisk · English
asterisk · rank #27,058 · 12 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-MID #27,058
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-MID 12 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,931
- PHOTO-FINISH assimilate
Nearest frequency peer: assimilate (-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 “asterisk”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- ASD
ASD
72,946 corpus weight
- asp
asp
72,945 corpus weight
- assimilate
assimilate
72,944 corpus weight
- asterisk
asterisk
72,943 corpus weight
- asymmetrical
asymmetrical
72,942 corpus weight
- ATF
ATF
72,941 corpus weight
What this shows “asterisk” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | asterisk |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈæstəɹɪsk/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #27,058 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “asterisk”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 12 spelling variants around asterisk (IPA /ˈæstəɹɪsk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,058 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for asterisk, with forms such as "asetrisk", "assterisk", and "asteirsk". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from Middle English asterisk [and other forms], from Late Latin asteriscus (“asterisk; small star”), from Ancient Greek ἀστερῐ́σκος (asterĭ́skos, “asterisk; small star”), from ᾰ̓στήρ (ăstḗr, “celestial body (star, planet, and other light… The correct English form is asterisk, spelled A-S-T-E-R-I-S-K.
Definition
- 1A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.
- 2A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.
- 3A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.
- 4A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.
- 5A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.
- 6A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how asterisk appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Add one Ray unto the common Luſtre; add not only to the Number but the Note of thy Generation; and prove not a Cloud but an Aſteriſk in thy Region.
He is in the right to put the Aſteriſks, not the VVords into the text; becauſe They do indeed give us [notice, that there is in Them] as much additional meaning, as there vvould be in thoſe vvords vvhich they ſo properly repreſent.
Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English asterisk [and other forms], from Late Latin asteriscus (“asterisk; small star”), from Ancient Greek ἀστερῐ́σκος (asterĭ́skos, “asterisk; small star”), from ᾰ̓στήρ (ăstḗr, “celestial body (star, planet, and other lights in the sky such as meteors)”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eHs- (“to burn; to glow”)) + -ῐ́σκος (-ĭ́skos, diminutive suffix). Doublet of asteriscus and piecewise doublet of starrish. Noun sense 1.1.2 (“something which is of little importance or which is marginal”) refers to the use of an asterisk to denote a footnote or marginal note in a text; in other words, information that is not important enough to be incorporated into the main text. Noun sense 1.1.3 (“blemish in an otherwise outstanding achievement”) refers to the use of an asterisk in a sporting record to indicate that the record is qualified in some manner (for example, that the sportsperson was found to have taken performance-enhancing drugs at the time). The verb is derived from the noun.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- asetrisk
- assterisk
- asteirsk
- asteriks
- asteriskk
- asterissk
- asterrisk
- astersik
- astreisk
- astterisk
- atserisk
- saterisk
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of asterisk - 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.
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 "asterisk"?
What does "asterisk" mean?
What are common misspellings of "asterisk"?
How do you pronounce "asterisk"?
What is the origin of the word "asterisk"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "asterisk", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).