asterisk
/ˈæstəɹɪsk/
"asterisk" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“asterisk” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #27,058 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #27,058
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small star; also (by extension), something resembling or shaped like a star.
| 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) |
Where “asterisk” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for asterisk is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈæstəɹɪsk/. Corpus data places it at rank #27,058 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 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 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.
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?
Using “asterisk”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-S-T-E-R-I-S-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈæstəɹɪsk/ (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.