egoism

/ˈi.ɡoʊˌɪ.zəm/

//ˈi.ɡoʊˌɪ.zəm// noun

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

"egoism" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“egoism” is uncommon English (frequency #60,785 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,785
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The tendency to think selfishly with exclusive self-interest in mind.

Corpus desk

Index EN-egoism · egoism · English

egoism · rank #60,785 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,785
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH educative

Nearest frequency peer: educative (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “egoism”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “egoism” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for egoism
PropertyValue
Headwordegoism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈi.ɡoʊˌɪ.zəm/
Letters6
Frequency rank#60,785
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “egoism” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).egoismfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “educative” (#60,784), “eigenvalue” (#60,786), “eir” (#60,787). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “egoism” is #60,785. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

egoism is uncommon English at frequency #60,785 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈi.ɡoʊˌɪ.zəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for egoism, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French égoïsme, from New Latin egoismus, from Latin ego. By surface analysis, ego + -ism. The correct English form is egoism, spelled E-G-O-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The tendency to think selfishly with exclusive self-interest in mind.
  2. 2
    The belief that moral behavior should be directed toward one's self-interest only.
  3. 3
    Egotism (tendency to talk excessively about oneself).

Etymology

From French égoïsme, from New Latin egoismus, from Latin ego. By surface analysis, ego + -ism.

This word in other languages

egoísmo(Español)égoïsme(Français)Egoismus(Deutsch)egoísmo(Português)

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 "egoism"?
"egoism" is spelled E-G-O-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈi.ɡoʊˌɪ.zəm/.
What does "egoism" mean?
As a noun, "egoism" means: The tendency to think selfishly with exclusive self-interest in mind.
How do you pronounce "egoism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "egoism" is /ˈi.ɡoʊˌɪ.zəm/. 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 "egoism"?
From French égoïsme, from New Latin egoismus, from Latin ego. By surface analysis, ego + -ism. 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 "egoism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

enrage#60,791fracas#60,816defray#60,751Galton#60,820

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list