earthquake

/ˈɜːθkweɪk/

//ˈɜːθkweɪk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“earthquake” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,592. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,592
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults.

Corpus desk

Index EN-earthquake · earthquake · English

earthquake · rank #5,592 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,592
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH crop

Nearest frequency peer: crop (-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 “earthquake”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “earthquake” 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
Key facts for earthquake
PropertyValue
Headwordearthquake
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɜːθkweɪk/
Letters10
Frequency rank#5,592
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “earthquake”

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).earthquakelands 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 “crop” (#5,591), “elderly” (#5,593), “criminals” (#5,590). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “earthquake” is #5,592. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around earthquake (IPA /ˈɜːθkweɪk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,592 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for earthquake, with forms such as "aerthquake", "earhtquake", and "earrthquake". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English erthequake, corresponding to earth + quake. Displaced Middle English eorð byfung (“earthquake”) from Old English eorþbeofung (literally “earth shaking”). The correct English form is earthquake, spelled E-A-R-T-H-Q-U-A-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults.
  2. 2
    Such a quake specifically occurring on the planet Earth, as opposed to other celestial bodies.
  3. 3
    A sudden and intense upheaval; a severely disruptive event.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Her alablaster brest she soft did kis, / Which all that while shee felt to pant and quake, / As it an Earth-quake were: at last she thus bespake.
  2. Last year's earthquake crushed his house, his livelihood and very nearly his leg, he said, pointing to a plastered limb that refuses to heal.

Etymology

From Middle English erthequake, corresponding to earth + quake. Displaced Middle English eorð byfung (“earthquake”) from Old English eorþbeofung (literally “earth shaking”).

Synonyms

earthdinquakeseismtemblorterremotetremblortremor

This word in other languages

terremoto(Español)tremblement de terre(Français)Erdbeben(Deutsch)sismo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aerthquake
  • earhtquake
  • earrthquake
  • earthhquake
  • earthqauke
  • earthqquake
  • earthquaek
  • earthquakke
  • earthqukae
  • earthuqake
  • eartqhuake
  • eartthquake
  • eatrhquake
  • erathquake

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of earthquake - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

aerthquake2earhtquake2earrthquake1earthhquake1earthqauke2earthqquake1earthquaek2earthquakke1
Edit distance from "earthquake"

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 "earthquake"?
"earthquake" is spelled E-A-R-T-H-Q-U-A-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɜːθkweɪk/.
What does "earthquake" mean?
As a noun, "earthquake" means: A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults.
What are common misspellings of "earthquake"?
Common misspellings include "aerthquake", "earhtquake", "earrthquake", "earthhquake", "earthqauke". The correct spelling is "earthquake".
How do you pronounce "earthquake"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "earthquake" is /ˈɜːθkweɪk/. 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 "earthquake"?
From Middle English erthequake, corresponding to earth + quake. Displaced Middle English eorð byfung (“earthquake”) from Old English eorþbeofung (literally “earth shaking”). 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 "earthquake", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

convenient#5,588compromise#5,587medication#5,610adventures#5,570

Similar misspelling depth

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

criminals14 variantsincidents14 variantsscreening14 variantsstrictly14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list