contradictio in terminis

noun

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

"contradictio-in-terminis" is a 22-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“contradictio in terminis” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
24
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - contradiction in terms

Key facts for contradictio in terminis
PropertyValue
Headwordcontradictio in terminis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters24
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “contradictio in terminis” sits in English frequency

contradictio in terminis falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

contradictio in terminis is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "contradiction in terms".

No misspelling variants are generated for contradictio in terminis in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Latin The correct English form is contradictio in terminis, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-D-I-C-T-I-O- -I-N- -T-E-R-M-I-N-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    contradiction in terms

Etymology

Latin

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "contradictio in terminis"?
"contradictio in terminis" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-D-I-C-T-I-O- -I-N- -T-E-R-M-I-N-I-S.
What does "contradictio in terminis" mean?
As a noun, "contradictio in terminis" means: contradiction in terms
What is the origin of the word "contradictio in terminis"?
Latin 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 “contradictio in terminis”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-T-R-A-D-I-C-T-I-O- -I-N- -T-E-R-M-I-N-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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