ectoderm

noun

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

"ectoderm" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ectoderm” is uncommon English (frequency #98,055 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#98,055
frequency rank, English
18,836
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The outermost of the three tissue layers in the embryo of a metazoan animal, which produces through development, the epidermis (skin) and nervous system of the adult.

Key facts for ectoderm
PropertyValue
Headwordectoderm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#98,055
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ectoderm” 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). ectoderm 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

ectoderm is uncommon English at frequency #98,055 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The outermost of the three tissue layers in the embryo of a metazoan animal, which produces through development, the epidermis (skin) and nervous system of the adult.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ectoderm, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ecto- + -derm. The correct English form is ectoderm, spelled E-C-T-O-D-E-R-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The outermost of the three tissue layers in the embryo of a metazoan animal, which produces through development, the epidermis (skin) and nervous system of the adult.

Etymology

From ecto- + -derm.

This word in other languages

ectodermo(Español)ectoderme(Français)Ektoderm(Deutsch)

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 "ectoderm"?
"ectoderm" is spelled E-C-T-O-D-E-R-M.
What does "ectoderm" mean?
As a noun, "ectoderm" means: The outermost of the three tissue layers in the embryo of a metazoan animal, which produces through development, the epidermis (skin) and nervous system of the adult.
What is the origin of the word "ectoderm"?
From ecto- + -derm. 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 “ectoderm”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-C-T-O-D-E-R-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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