bisexual
/baɪˈsɛk.ʃʊ.əl/
"bisexual" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“bisexual” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,173 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #11,173
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sexually attracted to both opposite-sex and same-sex individuals. (Compare pansexual.)
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | bisexual |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /baɪˈsɛk.ʃʊ.əl/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #11,173 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “bisexual” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for bisexual is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /baɪˈsɛk.ʃʊ.əl/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,173 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for bisexual, with forms such as "bbisexual", "biesxual", and "biseuxal". 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 confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From bi- + -sexual, via the French bisexuel (bi-, sexuel). Attested since 1792 as a synonym in botany for "hermaphroditic" ("having male and female parts"). First used of sexuality in Richard von Krafft-Ebing's 1886 Psychopathia Sexualis (in German) and Cha… The correct English form is bisexual, spelled B-I-S-E-X-U-A-L.
Definition
- 1Sexually attracted to both opposite-sex and same-sex individuals. (Compare pansexual.)
- 2Having both male and female parts, characteristics, or functions.
- 3Having both male and female parts, characteristics, or functions.
- 4Having both male and female parts, characteristics, or functions.
- 5Having both male and female parts, characteristics, or functions.
- 6Having both male and female parts, characteristics, or functions.
- 7Having both male and female parts, characteristics, or functions.
- 8Having two distinct sexes, male and female (as contrasted with unisexual or hermaphroditic).
- 9Involving two sexes (particularly with regard to reproduction; contrast parthenogenetic or asexual).
Etymology
From bi- + -sexual, via the French bisexuel (bi-, sexuel). Attested since 1792 as a synonym in botany for "hermaphroditic" ("having male and female parts"). First used of sexuality in Richard von Krafft-Ebing's 1886 Psychopathia Sexualis (in German) and Charles Gilbert Chaddock's 1892 English translation thereof, due to the theory that people were naturally attracted to the opposite sex and so the brain or mind of a person attracted to "both" sexes (or to the same sex) must be partly of another sex and thus "hermaphroditic".
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: bbisexual,biesxual,biseuxal,bisexaul,bisexuall,bisexula,bisexxual,bissexual,bisxeual,bsiexual,ibsexual
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bisexual - 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
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Using “bisexual”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-I-S-E-X-U-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /baɪˈsɛk.ʃʊ.əl/ (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.