contortionist

/kənˈtɔː(ɹ)ʃənɪst/

//kənˈtɔː(ɹ)ʃənɪst// noun

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

"contortionist" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“contortionist” is uncommon English (frequency #73,981 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,981
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An acrobat who is capable of twisting their body into unusual positions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contortionist · contortionist · English

contortionist · rank #73,981 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,981
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH contentedly

Nearest frequency peer: contentedly (-2 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 “contortionist”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for contortionist
PropertyValue
Headwordcontortionist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kənˈtɔː(ɹ)ʃənɪst/
Letters13
Frequency rank#73,981
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “contortionist” in English

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).contortionistfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “contentedly” (#73,979), “conservatorship” (#73,977), “cordy” (#73,985). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contortionist” is #73,981. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

contortionist is uncommon English at frequency #73,981 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kənˈtɔː(ɹ)ʃənɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for contortionist in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From contortion + -ist. The correct English form is contortionist, spelled C-O-N-T-O-R-T-I-O-N-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An acrobat who is capable of twisting their body into unusual positions.
  2. 2
    One who twists words and phrases.

Etymology

From contortion + -ist.

This word in other languages

contorsionista(Español)contorsionniste(Français)Schlangenmensch(Deutsch)

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 "contortionist"?
"contortionist" is spelled C-O-N-T-O-R-T-I-O-N-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈtɔː(ɹ)ʃənɪst/.
What does "contortionist" mean?
As a noun, "contortionist" means: An acrobat who is capable of twisting their body into unusual positions.
How do you pronounce "contortionist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contortionist" is /kənˈtɔː(ɹ)ʃənɪst/. 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 "contortionist"?
From contortion + -ist. 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 "contortionist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

buprenorphine#73,938beatification#73,895epidemiologic#74,074indescribably#74,191

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list