asteroid

/ˈæst(ə)ɹɔɪd/

//ˈæst(ə)ɹɔɪd// noun

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

"asteroid" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“asteroid” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,663. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,663
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A naturally occurring solid object, which is smaller than a planet and a dwarf planet, larger than a meteoroid and not a comet, that orbits a star and often has an irregular shape.

Corpus desk

Index EN-asteroid · asteroid · English

asteroid · rank #13,663 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,663
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH aspiring

Nearest frequency peer: aspiring (-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 “asteroid”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “asteroid” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

asteroid vs Astrid
63% similar
asteroid vs asteroids
89% similar

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

Key facts for asteroid
PropertyValue
Headwordasteroid
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæst(ə)ɹɔɪd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#13,663
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “asteroid”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).asteroidlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “aspiring” (#13,662), “Armenia” (#13,661), “barbie” (#13,665). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “asteroid” is #13,663. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around asteroid (IPA /ˈæst(ə)ɹɔɪd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,663 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for asteroid, with forms such as "asetroid", "assteroid", and "asteorid". 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 also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Astrid", "asteroids", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From aster + -oid, lit. "star-like". Coined by William Herschel. The correct English form is asteroid, spelled A-S-T-E-R-O-I-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A naturally occurring solid object, which is smaller than a planet and a dwarf planet, larger than a meteoroid and not a comet, that orbits a star and often has an irregular shape.
  2. 2
    In the Solar system, such a body that orbits within the orbit of Jupiter

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The orbital planes of asteroids, minor bodies that circle the Sun mainly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, are often more tilted ...

Etymology

From aster + -oid, lit. "star-like". Coined by William Herschel.

This word in other languages

asteroide(Español)astéroïde(Français)Asteroid(Deutsch)asteroide(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asetroid
  • assteroid
  • asteorid
  • asteriod
  • asterodi
  • asteroidd
  • asterroid
  • astreoid
  • astteroid
  • atseroid
  • sateroid

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of asteroid - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

asetroid2assteroid1asteorid2asteriod2asterodi2asteroidd1asterroid1astreoid2
Edit distance from "asteroid"

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 "asteroid"?
"asteroid" is spelled A-S-T-E-R-O-I-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæst(ə)ɹɔɪd/.
What does "asteroid" mean?
As a noun, "asteroid" means: A naturally occurring solid object, which is smaller than a planet and a dwarf planet, larger than a meteoroid and not a comet, that orbits a star and often has an irregular shape.
What words are commonly confused with "asteroid"?
"asteroid" is commonly confused with "Astrid", "asteroids". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "asteroid"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "asteroid" is /ˈæst(ə)ɹɔɪd/. 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 "asteroid"?
From aster + -oid, lit. "star-like". Coined by William Herschel. 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 "asteroid", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

aspiring#13,662aquarium#13,660abruptly#13,652abducted#13,651

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

clicked11 variantscontend11 variantsconvict11 variantstraveler11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list