ellipse

/ɪˈlɪps/

//ɪˈlɪps// noun

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

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

The verdict

“ellipse” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,625. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,625
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A closed curve, the locus of a point such that the sum of the distances from that point to two other fixed points (called the foci of the ellipse) is constant; equivalently, the conic section that ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-ellipse · ellipse · English

ellipse · rank #42,625 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,625
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Elysium

Nearest frequency peer: Elysium (+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 “ellipse”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ellipse” 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).

ellipse vs Ellis
57% similar
ellipse vs Eloise
57% similar
ellipse vs Ellie
57% similar

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

Key facts for ellipse
PropertyValue
Headwordellipse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪˈlɪps/
Letters7
Frequency rank#42,625
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ellipse”

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).ellipselands 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 “Elysium” (#42,626), “encoder” (#42,627), “eek” (#42,622). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “ellipse” is #42,625. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around ellipse (IPA /ɪˈlɪps/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #42,625 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for ellipse, with forms such as "elilpse", "elipse", and "ellipes". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Ellis", "Eloise", "Ellie", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French ellipse. Doublet of ellipsis. The correct English form is ellipse, spelled E-L-L-I-P-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A closed curve, the locus of a point such that the sum of the distances from that point to two other fixed points (called the foci of the ellipse) is constant; equivalently, the conic section that is the intersection of a cone with a plane that does not intersect the base of the cone.
  2. 2
    Ellipsis, the removal from a phrase of a word which is grammatically needed, but which is clearly understood without having to be stated.

Etymology

From French ellipse. Doublet of ellipsis.

Synonyms

oval

This word in other languages

elipse(Español)ellipse(Français)Ellipse(Deutsch)elipse(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elilpse
  • elipse
  • ellipes
  • ellippse
  • ellipsse
  • ellispe
  • ellpise
  • lelipse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

elilpse2elipse1ellipes2ellippse1ellipsse1ellispe2ellpise2lelipse2
Edit distance from "ellipse"

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 "ellipse"?
"ellipse" is spelled E-L-L-I-P-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈlɪps/.
What does "ellipse" mean?
As a noun, "ellipse" means: A closed curve, the locus of a point such that the sum of the distances from that point to two other fixed points (called the foci of the ellipse) is constant; equivalently, the conic section that ...
What words are commonly confused with "ellipse"?
"ellipse" is commonly confused with "Ellis", "Eloise", "Ellie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ellipse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ellipse" is /ɪˈlɪps/. 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 "ellipse"?
From French ellipse. Doublet of ellipsis. 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 "ellipse", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Elysium#42,626encoder#42,627espouse#42,630dogging#42,612

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

ducky8 variantsfarina8 variantsfussing8 variantscupola8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list