capsicum

/ˈkæpsɪkəm/

//ˈkæpsɪkəm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“capsicum” is uncommon English (frequency #53,426 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,426
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various tropical American plants, of the genus Capsicum, principally the species Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens, that are cultivated as edible peppers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-capsicum · capsicum · English

capsicum · rank #53,426 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,426
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 43,570
  • PHOTO-FINISH canna

Nearest frequency peer: canna (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “capsicum”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “capsicum” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for capsicum
PropertyValue
Headwordcapsicum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæpsɪkəm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#53,426
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “capsicum” 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). capsicum 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

capsicum is uncommon English at frequency #53,426 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkæpsɪkəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for capsicum in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from New Latin capsicum, from Ancient Greek καψικός (kapsikós, “like a box”), from Latin capsa (“box”). The correct English form is capsicum, spelled C-A-P-S-I-C-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various tropical American plants, of the genus Capsicum, principally the species Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens, that are cultivated as edible peppers.
  2. 2
    Any of various tropical American plants, of the genus Capsicum, principally the species Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens, that are cultivated as edible peppers.

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin capsicum, from Ancient Greek καψικός (kapsikós, “like a box”), from Latin capsa (“box”).

This word in other languages

pimiento(Español)piment doux(Français)Paprika(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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "capsicum"?
"capsicum" is spelled C-A-P-S-I-C-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæpsɪkəm/.
What does "capsicum" mean?
As a noun, "capsicum" means: Any of various tropical American plants, of the genus Capsicum, principally the species Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens, that are cultivated as edible peppers.
How do you pronounce "capsicum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "capsicum" is /ˈkæpsɪkəm/. 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 "capsicum"?
Borrowed from New Latin capsicum, from Ancient Greek καψικός (kapsikós, “like a box”), from Latin capsa (“box”). 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 "capsicum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Chiltern#53,443bodysuit#53,408Bodleian#53,407boatload#53,406
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