circumcise

/ˈsəːkəmsʌɪz/

//ˈsəːkəmsʌɪz// verb

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

"circumcise" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“circumcise” is uncommon English (frequency #89,234 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,234
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To surgically remove the foreskin (prepuce) from the penis of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-circumcise · circumcise · English

circumcise · rank #89,234 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,234
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cinerea

Nearest frequency peer: cinerea (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “circumcise”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “circumcise” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for circumcise
PropertyValue
Headwordcircumcise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈsəːkəmsʌɪz/
Letters10
Frequency rank#89,234
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “circumcise” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “cinerea” (#89,233), “Chungking” (#89,231), “chorionic” (#89,227). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “circumcise” is #89,234. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

circumcise is uncommon English at frequency #89,234 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈsəːkəmsʌɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

circumcise has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French circoncisier, from Latin circumcīdō (“cut around”), from circum (“about, around; through”) + caedō (“cut, hew”). The correct English form is circumcise, spelled C-I-R-C-U-M-C-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To surgically remove the foreskin (prepuce) from the penis of.
  2. 2
    To surgically remove the clitoris (clitoridectomy), clitoral hood, or labia.
  3. 3
    To trim off the portion of the barrel liner of a large-caliber naval gun that protrudes from the end of the barrel as a result of the liner slowly stretching from prolonged fire.

Etymology

From Old French circoncisier, from Latin circumcīdō (“cut around”), from circum (“about, around; through”) + caedō (“cut, hew”).

Synonyms

circsnipcutposthectomize

This word in other languages

circuncidar(Español)circoncire(Français)beschneiden(Deutsch)circuncidar(Português)

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 "circumcise"?
"circumcise" is spelled C-I-R-C-U-M-C-I-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsəːkəmsʌɪz/.
What does "circumcise" mean?
As a verb, "circumcise" means: To surgically remove the foreskin (prepuce) from the penis of.
How do you pronounce "circumcise"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "circumcise" is /ˈsəːkəmsʌɪz/. 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 "circumcise"?
From Old French circoncisier, from Latin circumcīdō (“cut around”), from circum (“about, around; through”) + caedō (“cut, hew”). 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 "circumcise", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

chillingly#89,224catabolism#89,207crossbreed#89,263Carnoustie#89,203

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list