criterium

/kɹaɪˈtɪəɹiəm/

//kɹaɪˈtɪəɹiəm// noun

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

The verdict

“criterium” is uncommon English (frequency #77,572 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,572
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A mass-start road-cycle race consisting of several laps around a closed circuit, the length of each lap or circuit ranging from about 1 km to 2 km (1/2 mile to just over 1 mile).

Key facts for criterium
PropertyValue
Headwordcriterium
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɹaɪˈtɪəɹiəm/
Letters9
Frequency rank#77,572
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “criterium” 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). criterium 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

criterium is uncommon English at frequency #77,572 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɹaɪˈtɪəɹiəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A mass-start road-cycle race consisting of several laps around a closed circuit, the length of each lap or circuit ranging from about 1 km to 2 km (1/2 mile to just over 1 mile).".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for criterium, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French critérium (“competition”), from Latin critērium, from Ancient Greek κριτήριον (kritḗrion). The correct English form is criterium, spelled C-R-I-T-E-R-I-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A mass-start road-cycle race consisting of several laps around a closed circuit, the length of each lap or circuit ranging from about 1 km to 2 km (1/2 mile to just over 1 mile).

Etymology

From French critérium (“competition”), from Latin critērium, from Ancient Greek κριτήριον (kritḗrion).

Synonyms

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 "criterium"?
"criterium" is spelled C-R-I-T-E-R-I-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹaɪˈtɪəɹiəm/.
What does "criterium" mean?
As a noun, "criterium" means: A mass-start road-cycle race consisting of several laps around a closed circuit, the length of each lap or circuit ranging from about 1 km to 2 km (1/2 mile to just over 1 mile).
How do you pronounce "criterium"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "criterium" is /kɹaɪˈtɪəɹiəm/. 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 "criterium"?
From French critérium (“competition”), from Latin critērium, from Ancient Greek κριτήριον (kritḗrion). 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 “criterium”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-R-I-T-E-R-I-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɹaɪˈtɪəɹiəm/ (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