colchicine

/ˈkɒl.tʃɪs.iːn/

//ˈkɒl.tʃɪs.iːn// noun

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

The verdict

“colchicine” is uncommon English (frequency #77,543 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,543
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A highly toxic alkaloid, chemical formula C₂₂H₂₅NO₆, originally extracted from plants of the genus Colchicum and formerly used to treat rheumatic complaints, now used mainly in the treatment of gout.

Key facts for colchicine
PropertyValue
Headwordcolchicine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒl.tʃɪs.iːn/
Letters10
Frequency rank#77,543
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “colchicine” 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). colchicine 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

colchicine is uncommon English at frequency #77,543 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɒl.tʃɪs.iːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A highly toxic alkaloid, chemical formula C₂₂H₂₅NO₆, originally extracted from plants of the genus Colchicum and formerly used to treat rheumatic complaints, now used mainly in the treatment of gout.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for colchicine, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From colchicum + -ine. The correct English form is colchicine, spelled C-O-L-C-H-I-C-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A highly toxic alkaloid, chemical formula C₂₂H₂₅NO₆, originally extracted from plants of the genus Colchicum and formerly used to treat rheumatic complaints, now used mainly in the treatment of gout.

Etymology

From colchicum + -ine.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "colchicine"?
"colchicine" is spelled C-O-L-C-H-I-C-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒl.tʃɪs.iːn/.
What does "colchicine" mean?
As a noun, "colchicine" means: A highly toxic alkaloid, chemical formula C₂₂H₂₅NO₆, originally extracted from plants of the genus Colchicum and formerly used to treat rheumatic complaints, now used mainly in the treatment of gout.
How do you pronounce "colchicine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "colchicine" is /ˈkɒl.tʃɪs.iːn/. 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 "colchicine"?
From colchicum + -ine. 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.

Using “colchicine”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-L-C-H-I-C-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkɒl.tʃɪs.iːn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list