cesspool

/ˈsɛsˌpuːl/

//ˈsɛsˌpuːl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cesspool” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,577. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,577
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An underground pit where sewage is held.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cesspool · cesspool · English

cesspool · rank #42,577 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,577
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH chalky

Nearest frequency peer: chalky (+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 “cesspool”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cesspool” 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
Key facts for cesspool
PropertyValue
Headwordcesspool
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɛsˌpuːl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#42,577
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cesspool”

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).cesspoollands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “chalky” (#42,578), “CDA” (#42,575), “causative” (#42,574). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cesspool” is #42,577. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around cesspool (IPA /ˈsɛsˌpuːl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #42,577 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for cesspool, with forms such as "ccesspool", "cespool", and "cespsool". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier sesspool. Origin uncertain. Perhaps from Italian cesso (“privy, toilet”) + English pool. Alternatively, an alteration of English dialectal suspool, from suss, soss (“puddle; mire”) + pool. Another possible derivation is from a folk etymology (i… The correct English form is cesspool, spelled C-E-S-S-P-O-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    An underground pit where sewage is held.
  2. 2
    A filthy place.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained.

Etymology

From earlier sesspool. Origin uncertain. Perhaps from Italian cesso (“privy, toilet”) + English pool. Alternatively, an alteration of English dialectal suspool, from suss, soss (“puddle; mire”) + pool. Another possible derivation is from a folk etymology (influence from pool) from earlier cesperalle, alteration of Middle English suspiral, from Middle French souspirail (“air hole”), from soupirer, souspirer (“to sigh, breathe”), from Latin suspirare.

Synonyms

cesspitgongpit

This word in other languages

cloaca(Español)fosse(Français)Jauchegrube(Deutsch)fossa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccesspool
  • cespool
  • cespsool
  • cessopol
  • cesspol
  • cesspolo
  • cesspooll
  • cessppool
  • csespool
  • ecsspool

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cesspool - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccesspool1cespool1cespsool2cessopol2cesspol1cesspolo2cesspooll1cessppool1
Edit distance from "cesspool"

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 "cesspool"?
"cesspool" is spelled C-E-S-S-P-O-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɛsˌpuːl/.
What does "cesspool" mean?
As a noun, "cesspool" means: An underground pit where sewage is held.
What are common misspellings of "cesspool"?
Common misspellings include "ccesspool", "cespool", "cespsool", "cessopol", "cesspol". The correct spelling is "cesspool".
How do you pronounce "cesspool"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cesspool" is /ˈsɛsˌpuːl/. 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 "cesspool"?
From earlier sesspool. Origin uncertain. Perhaps from Italian cesso (“privy, toilet”) + English pool. Alternatively, an alteration of English dialectal suspool, from suss, soss (“puddle; mire”) + pool. Another possible derivation is from a folk et... 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 "cesspool", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

casement#42,570Canfield#42,567bundling#42,561Brantley#42,559

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

chalky10 variantscommissar10 variantscantina10 variantscaching10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list