eclipse

/ɪˈklɪps/

//ɪˈklɪps// noun

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

"eclipse" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“eclipse” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,462. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,462
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An alignment of astronomical objects whereby one object comes between the observer (or notional observer) and another object, thus obscuring the latter.

Corpus desk

Index EN-eclipse · eclipse · English

eclipse · rank #9,462 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,462
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH ea

Nearest frequency peer: ea (-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 “eclipse”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “eclipse” 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).

eclipse vs Elise
57% similar
eclipse vs ellipse
86% similar
eclipse vs eclipsed
88% similar

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

Key facts for eclipse
PropertyValue
Headwordeclipse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪˈklɪps/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,462
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “eclipse”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).eclipselands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “ea” (#9,461), “eighteen” (#9,463), “dubbed” (#9,460). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “eclipse” is #9,462. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around eclipse (IPA /ɪˈklɪps/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,462 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for eclipse, with forms such as "celipse", "ecclipse", and "ecilpse". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "Elise", "ellipse", "eclipsed", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French eclipse, from Latin eclīpsis, from Ancient Greek ἔκλειψις (ékleipsis, “eclipse”), from ἐκλείπω (ekleípō, “I abandon, go missing, vanish”), from ἐκ (ek, “out”) and λείπω (leípō, “I leave behind”). Doublet of eclipsis. The correct English form is eclipse, spelled E-C-L-I-P-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An alignment of astronomical objects whereby one object comes between the observer (or notional observer) and another object, thus obscuring the latter.
  2. 2
    Especially, an alignment whereby a planetary object (for example, the Moon) comes between the Sun and another planetary object (for example, the Earth), resulting in a shadow being cast by the middle planetary object onto the other planetary object.
  3. 3
    A seasonal state of plumage in some birds, notably ducks, adopted temporarily after the breeding season and characterised by a dull and scruffy appearance.
  4. 4
    Obscurity, decline, downfall.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a. 1618, Walter Raleigh, quoted in Eclipse, entry in 1805, Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language, Volume 2, unnumbered page, All the posterity of our first parents suffered a perpetual eclipse of spiritual life.
  2. As in the soft and sweet eclipse, When soul meets soul on lovers' lips.

Etymology

From Old French eclipse, from Latin eclīpsis, from Ancient Greek ἔκλειψις (ékleipsis, “eclipse”), from ἐκλείπω (ekleípō, “I abandon, go missing, vanish”), from ἐκ (ek, “out”) and λείπω (leípō, “I leave behind”). Doublet of eclipsis.

This word in other languages

eclipse(Español)éclipse(Français)Finsternis(Deutsch)eclipse(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • celipse
  • ecclipse
  • ecilpse
  • eclipes
  • eclippse
  • eclipsse
  • eclispe
  • ecllipse
  • eclpise
  • elcipse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of eclipse - 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.

celipse2ecclipse1ecilpse2eclipes2eclippse1eclipsse1eclispe2ecllipse1
Edit distance from "eclipse"

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 "eclipse"?
"eclipse" is spelled E-C-L-I-P-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈklɪps/.
What does "eclipse" mean?
As a noun, "eclipse" means: An alignment of astronomical objects whereby one object comes between the observer (or notional observer) and another object, thus obscuring the latter.
What words are commonly confused with "eclipse"?
"eclipse" is commonly confused with "Elise", "ellipse", "eclipsed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "eclipse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "eclipse" is /ɪˈklɪps/. 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 "eclipse"?
From Old French eclipse, from Latin eclīpsis, from Ancient Greek ἔκλειψις (ékleipsis, “eclipse”), from ἐκλείπω (ekleípō, “I abandon, go missing, vanish”), from ἐκ (ek, “out”) and λείπω (leípō, “I leave behind”). Doublet of eclipsis. 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 "eclipse", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Eleanor#9,464dioxide#9,457exhaust#9,467cuisine#9,455

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

bricks10 variantsinsulin10 variantsnarrator10 variantsobesity10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list