bionics

/ˈbaɪˌɒnɪks/

//ˈbaɪˌɒnɪks// noun

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

"bionics" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bionics” is uncommon English (frequency #84,025 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,025
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The design of engineering systems, especially electronic ones, based on that of biological systems.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bionics · bionics · English

bionics · rank #84,025 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #84,025
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH biogenic

Nearest frequency peer: biogenic (-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 “bionics”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bionics
PropertyValue
Headwordbionics
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbaɪˌɒnɪks/
Letters7
Frequency rank#84,025
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bionics” in English

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).bionicsfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “biogenic” (#84,024), “bioreactor” (#84,026), “binny” (#84,023). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bionics” is #84,025. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bionics is uncommon English at frequency #84,025 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbaɪˌɒnɪks/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for bionics in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From bio- + electronics. Coined by US Air Force medical doctor Jack E. Steele in 1958 to refer to the "flow of concepts from biology to engineering and vice versa". The correct English form is bionics, spelled B-I-O-N-I-C-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The design of engineering systems, especially electronic ones, based on that of biological systems.
  2. 2
    biomimetics

Etymology

From bio- + electronics. Coined by US Air Force medical doctor Jack E. Steele in 1958 to refer to the "flow of concepts from biology to engineering and vice versa".

This word in other languages

biónica(Español)bionique(Français)Bionik(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 "bionics"?
"bionics" is spelled B-I-O-N-I-C-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbaɪˌɒnɪks/.
What does "bionics" mean?
As a noun, "bionics" means: The design of engineering systems, especially electronic ones, based on that of biological systems.
How do you pronounce "bionics"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bionics" is /ˈbaɪˌɒnɪks/. 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 "bionics"?
From bio- + electronics. Coined by US Air Force medical doctor Jack E. Steele in 1958 to refer to the "flow of concepts from biology to engineering and vice versa". 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 "bionics", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Benicio#84,014bobbitt#84,037Bellona#84,011boonies#84,041

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list