ataxia

/əˈtæksɪə/

//əˈtæksɪə// noun

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

"ataxia" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ataxia” is uncommon English (frequency #50,946 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,946
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Lack of coordination while performing voluntary movements, which may appear to be clumsiness, inaccuracy, or instability.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ataxia · ataxia · English

ataxia · rank #50,946 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,946
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Artagnan

Nearest frequency peer: Artagnan (-4 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 “ataxia”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ataxia
PropertyValue
Headwordataxia
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈtæksɪə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#50,946
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ataxia” 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).ataxiafalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Artagnan” (#50,942), “awesomely” (#50,950), “Babylonia” (#50,952). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “ataxia” is #50,946. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ataxia is uncommon English at frequency #50,946 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /əˈtæksɪə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

ataxia has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀταξία (ataxía, “disorder”), derived from ἄτακτος (átaktos, “disorderly”). By surface analysis, a- (“not”) + tax- (“order”) + -ia. The correct English form is ataxia, spelled A-T-A-X-I-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lack of coordination while performing voluntary movements, which may appear to be clumsiness, inaccuracy, or instability.
  2. 2
    The condition of a polymer in which the orientation of the subunits is random
  3. 3
    Disorder; irregularity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Cerebellar dysfunction is characterized by truncal ataxia, a broad-based stance, dysmetria in which the limbs either overstep (hypermetria) or understep (hypometria), and tremor that is most pronounced when the animal attempts a goal-orientated movement (intention tremor).
  2. 1569, John Leslie, A Defence of the Honour of the Right Highe, Mightye and Noble Princesse Marie Quene of Scotlande, Rheims, Book 3, Ye frame an other argumente of inconueniences, as thowghe vnder the womans regimente, Ataxia, that ys to saye disorder moste commonlye creapethe in.

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀταξία (ataxía, “disorder”), derived from ἄτακτος (átaktos, “disorderly”). By surface analysis, a- (“not”) + tax- (“order”) + -ia.

This word in other languages

ataxia(Español)ataxie(Français)Ataxie(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 "ataxia"?
"ataxia" is spelled A-T-A-X-I-A. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈtæksɪə/.
What does "ataxia" mean?
As a noun, "ataxia" means: Lack of coordination while performing voluntary movements, which may appear to be clumsiness, inaccuracy, or instability.
How do you pronounce "ataxia"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ataxia" is /əˈtæksɪə/. 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 "ataxia"?
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀταξία (ataxía, “disorder”), derived from ἄτακτος (átaktos, “disorderly”). By surface analysis, a- (“not”) + tax- (“order”) + -ia. 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 "ataxia", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bailly#50,954beachy#50,962beefed#50,963Alissa#50,926

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list