cement

/səˈmɛnt/

//səˈmɛnt// noun

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

"cement" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cement” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,775. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,775
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A powdered substance produced by firing (calcining) calcium carbonate (limestone) and clay that develops strong cohesive properties when mixed with water. The main ingredient of concrete.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cement · cement · English

cement · rank #7,775 · 9 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,775
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH breasts

Nearest frequency peer: breasts (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “cement”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “cement” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cement vs cent
67% similar
cement vs comet
67% similar
cement vs client
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for cement
PropertyValue
Headwordcement
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/səˈmɛnt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,775
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cement”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “breasts” (#7,774), “chess” (#7,776), “Barnes” (#7,773). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cement” is #7,775. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around cement (IPA /səˈmɛnt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,775 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for cement, with forms such as "ccement", "ceemnt", and "cemennt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "cent", "comet", "client", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English syment, cyment, from Old French ciment, from Latin caementum (“quarry stone; stone chips for making mortar”), from caedō (“to cut, hew”). Doublet of cementum. The correct English form is cement, spelled C-E-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A powdered substance produced by firing (calcining) calcium carbonate (limestone) and clay that develops strong cohesive properties when mixed with water. The main ingredient of concrete.
  2. 2
    The paste-like substance resulting from mixing such a powder with water, or the rock-like substance that forms when it dries.
  3. 3
    Any material with strong adhesive and cohesive properties such as binding agents, glues, grout.
  4. 4
    A bond of union; that which unites firmly, as persons in friendship or in society.
  5. 5
    The layer of bone investing the root and neck of a tooth; cementum.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how cement appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. In the autumn there was a row at some cement works about the unskilled labour men. A union had just been started for them and all but a few joined. One of these blacklegs was laid for by a picket and knocked out of time.
  2. Indigenous bacteria, which naturally exist in specific environments, are being increasingly utilized in self-healing cement to promote calcite precipitation, a process that fills cracks and restores the material’s structural integrity [4,5].

Etymology

From Middle English syment, cyment, from Old French ciment, from Latin caementum (“quarry stone; stone chips for making mortar”), from caedō (“to cut, hew”). Doublet of cementum.

This word in other languages

cemento(Español)ciment(Français)Zement(Deutsch)cimento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccement
  • ceemnt
  • cemennt
  • cementt
  • cemetn
  • cemment
  • cemnet
  • cmeent
  • ecment

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cement - 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.

ccement1ceemnt2cemennt1cementt1cemetn2cemment1cemnet2cmeent2
Edit distance from "cement"

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 "cement"?
"cement" is spelled C-E-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈmɛnt/.
What does "cement" mean?
As a noun, "cement" means: A powdered substance produced by firing (calcining) calcium carbonate (limestone) and clay that develops strong cohesive properties when mixed with water. The main ingredient of concrete.
What words are commonly confused with "cement"?
"cement" is commonly confused with "cent", "comet", "client". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cement"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cement" is /səˈmɛnt/. 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 "cement"?
From Middle English syment, cyment, from Old French ciment, from Latin caementum (“quarry stone; stone chips for making mortar”), from caedō (“to cut, hew”). Doublet of cementum. 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 "cement", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Barnes#7,773citing#7,777Curtis#7,784admits#7,764

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

waking9 variantslynch9 variantsnewton9 variantspunish9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list