bursitis

/bɝˈsaɪ.tɪs/

//bɝˈsaɪ.tɪs// noun

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

The verdict

“bursitis” is uncommon English (frequency #81,191 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,191
frequency rank, English
31,241
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An inflammation of a bursa, most common in the shoulder, elbow or knee

Key facts for bursitis
PropertyValue
Headwordbursitis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɝˈsaɪ.tɪs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#81,191
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bursitis” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). bursitis lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bursitis is uncommon English at frequency #81,191 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /bɝˈsaɪ.tɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An inflammation of a bursa, most common in the shoulder, elbow or knee".

bursitis has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From bursa + -itis. The correct English form is bursitis, spelled B-U-R-S-I-T-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    An inflammation of a bursa, most common in the shoulder, elbow or knee

Etymology

From bursa + -itis.

This word in other languages

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 "bursitis"?
"bursitis" is spelled B-U-R-S-I-T-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /bɝˈsaɪ.tɪs/.
What does "bursitis" mean?
As a noun, "bursitis" means: An inflammation of a bursa, most common in the shoulder, elbow or knee
How do you pronounce "bursitis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bursitis" is /bɝˈsaɪ.tɪs/. 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 "bursitis"?
From bursa + -itis. 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.

Using “bursitis”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-U-R-S-I-T-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bɝˈsaɪ.tɪs/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list