biofilm
"biofilm" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“biofilm” is uncommon English (frequency #54,646 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #54,646
- frequency rank, English
- 4,121
- “B” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A thin film of mucus created by and containing a colony of bacteria and other microorganisms.
Corpus desk
Index EN-biofilm · biofilm · English
biofilm · rank #54,646 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #54,646
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,121
- PHOTO-FINISH bifurcation
Nearest frequency peer: bifurcation (-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 “biofilm”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- bequeath
bequeath
45,358 corpus weight
- besieging
besieging
45,357 corpus weight
- bifurcation
bifurcation
45,356 corpus weight
- biofilm
biofilm
45,355 corpus weight
- bluestone
bluestone
45,353 corpus weight
- blustery
blustery
45,352 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “biofilm” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | biofilm |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #54,646 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “biofilm” in English
Rare enough to double-check
biofilm is uncommon English at frequency #54,646 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A thin film of mucus created by and containing a colony of bacteria and other microorganisms.".
biofilm doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From bio- + film. First used in the early 1970s in the context of wastewater treatment. The correct English form is biofilm, spelled B-I-O-F-I-L-M.
Definition
- 1A thin film of mucus created by and containing a colony of bacteria and other microorganisms.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how biofilm appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The differences in biofilm penetration patterns of both tested photosensitisers and the light source could have played an important role for the survival of microorganisms after the application of aPDT. In a recent own study, we showed that the deepest layers of the oral biofilm were not affected by the aPDT [4 ].
These interactions are essential for the assembly of an exopolysaccharides-rich matrix and the development of cospecies biofilms.
Etymology
From bio- + film. First used in the early 1970s in the context of wastewater treatment.
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 "biofilm"?
What does "biofilm" mean?
What is the origin of the word "biofilm"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "biofilm", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).