cosmetics

/kɒzˈmɛt.ɪks/

//kɒzˈmɛt.ɪks// noun

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

"cosmetics" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cosmetics” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,674. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,674
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Preparations applied externally to change or enhance the beauty of skin, hair, nails, lips, and eyes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cosmetics · cosmetics · English

cosmetics · rank #11,674 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #11,674
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Copenhagen

Nearest frequency peer: Copenhagen (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “cosmetics”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “cosmetics” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cosmetics vs cosmetic
89% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for cosmetics
PropertyValue
Headwordcosmetics
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɒzˈmɛt.ɪks/
Letters9
Frequency rank#11,674
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cosmetics”

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).cosmeticslands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “Copenhagen” (#11,673), “coward” (#11,675), “dammit” (#11,676). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cosmetics” is #11,674. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around cosmetics (IPA /kɒzˈmɛt.ɪks/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,674 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for cosmetics, with forms such as "ccosmetics", "comsetics", and "cosemtics". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "cosmetic", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French cosmétique, from Ancient Greek κοσμητική (kosmētikḗ, “the art of dress and ornament”), from κοσμητικός (kosmētikós), an adjective of κοσμέω (kosméō, “to order, to arrange, to rule, to adorn, to equip, to dress, to embellish”). The correct English form is cosmetics, spelled C-O-S-M-E-T-I-C-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Preparations applied externally to change or enhance the beauty of skin, hair, nails, lips, and eyes.
  2. 2
    The way something looks; superficial appearance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how cosmetics appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Near-synonyms: makeup, make-up; beauty products
  2. Near-synonym: cosmesis

Etymology

From French cosmétique, from Ancient Greek κοσμητική (kosmētikḗ, “the art of dress and ornament”), from κοσμητικός (kosmētikós), an adjective of κοσμέω (kosméō, “to order, to arrange, to rule, to adorn, to equip, to dress, to embellish”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccosmetics
  • comsetics
  • cosemtics
  • cosmeitcs
  • cosmetcis
  • cosmeticcs
  • cosmeticss
  • cosmetisc
  • cosmettics
  • cosmmetics
  • cosmteics
  • cossmetics
  • csometics
  • ocsmetics

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cosmetics - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccosmetics1comsetics2cosemtics2cosmeitcs2cosmetcis2cosmeticcs1cosmeticss1cosmetisc2
Edit distance from "cosmetics"

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 "cosmetics"?
"cosmetics" is spelled C-O-S-M-E-T-I-C-S. The IPA pronunciation is /kɒzˈmɛt.ɪks/.
What does "cosmetics" mean?
As a noun, "cosmetics" means: Preparations applied externally to change or enhance the beauty of skin, hair, nails, lips, and eyes.
What words are commonly confused with "cosmetics"?
"cosmetics" is commonly confused with "cosmetic". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cosmetics"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cosmetics" is /kɒzˈmɛt.ɪks/. 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 "cosmetics"?
From French cosmétique, from Ancient Greek κοσμητική (kosmētikḗ, “the art of dress and ornament”), from κοσμητικός (kosmētikós), an adjective of κοσμέω (kosméō, “to order, to arrange, to rule, to adorn, to equip, to dress, to embellish”). 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 "cosmetics", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

embracing#11,691gardening#11,702greetings#11,711groceries#11,712

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

vengeance14 variantstravellers14 variantssuppression14 variantsskeptical14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list