checksum
"checksum" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“checksum” is uncommon English (frequency #68,923 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #68,923
- frequency rank, English
- 43,570
- “C” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A number, derived by applying a suitable algorithm to some data, used to check whether errors have occurred in transmission, storage or data entry.
Corpus desk
Index EN-checksum · checksum · English
checksum · rank #68,923 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #68,923
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 43,570
- PHOTO-FINISH chav
Nearest frequency peer: chav (-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 “checksum”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- chastened
chastened
31,083 corpus weight
- Chattahooch…
Chattahoochee
31,081 corpus weight
- Chatterton
Chatterton
31,080 corpus weight
- chav
chav
31,079 corpus weight
- checksum
checksum
31,078 corpus weight
- Chepstow
Chepstow
31,076 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “checksum” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | checksum |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #68,923 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “checksum” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
checksum is uncommon English at frequency #68,923 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A number, derived by applying a suitable algorithm to some data, used to check whether errors have occurred in transmission, storage or data entry.".
checksum has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From check + sum. The correct English form is checksum, spelled C-H-E-C-K-S-U-M.
Definition
- 1A number, derived by applying a suitable algorithm to some data, used to check whether errors have occurred in transmission, storage or data entry.
Etymology
From check + sum.
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.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "checksum", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency 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.