ectoplasm
/ˈɛktəˌplæzəm/
"ectoplasm" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ectoplasm” is uncommon English (frequency #87,241 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #87,241
- frequency rank, English
- 18,836
- “E” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A visible substance believed to emanate from the body of a spiritualistic medium during communication with the dead.
Corpus desk
Index EN-ectoplasm · ectoplasm · English
ectoplasm · rank #87,241 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #87,241
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 18,836
- PHOTO-FINISH earwig
Nearest frequency peer: earwig (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “ectoplasm”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- duplicative
duplicative
12,765 corpus weight
- dyspepsia
dyspepsia
12,763 corpus weight
- earwig
earwig
12,761 corpus weight
- ectoplasm
ectoplasm
12,760 corpus weight
- Ehrman
Ehrman
12,757 corpus weight
- Eklund
Eklund
12,755 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “ectoplasm” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ectoplasm |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɛktəˌplæzəm/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #87,241 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ectoplasm” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
ectoplasm is uncommon English at frequency #87,241 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɛktəˌplæzəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for ectoplasm in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From ecto- (“outside”) + plasm or -plasm, referring to the fact that ectoplasm is believed to emanate from and materialize outside of the medium's body. The correct English form is ectoplasm, spelled E-C-T-O-P-L-A-S-M.
Definition
- 1A visible substance believed to emanate from the body of a spiritualistic medium during communication with the dead.
- 2An immaterial or ethereal substance, especially the transparent corporeal presence of a spirit or ghost.
- 3The outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how ectoplasm appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
He saw again clearly enough[…]the doctor’s consulting room in the Avenida de la Revolución, visited for some drunken reason in the early hours of the morning, macabre with its pictures of ancient Spanish surgeons, their goat faces rising queerly from ruffs resembling ectoplasm, roaring with laughter as they performed inquisitorial operations; […]
Watching as the woman lifted her skirts and flung out ectoplasm, expelled it into a bowl, then brandished it around at her audience wildly.
Etymology
From ecto- (“outside”) + plasm or -plasm, referring to the fact that ectoplasm is believed to emanate from and materialize outside of the medium's body.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ectoplasm", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency 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.