ellipsis

/ɪˈlɪp.sɪs/

//ɪˈlɪp.sɪs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“ellipsis” is uncommon English (frequency #57,364 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,364
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mark consisting of multiple full stops (with or without spaces), used to indicate omitted, missing, or illegible words; or (in mathematics) that a pattern continues.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ellipsis · ellipsis · English

ellipsis · rank #57,364 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,364
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH elvish

Nearest frequency peer: elvish (+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 “ellipsis”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ellipsis
PropertyValue
Headwordellipsis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪˈlɪp.sɪs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#57,364
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ellipsis” 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).ellipsisfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “elvish” (#57,365), “emoticon” (#57,366), “ecotourism” (#57,361). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “ellipsis” is #57,364. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ellipsis is uncommon English at frequency #57,364 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɪˈlɪp.sɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ellipsis, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from Latin ellīpsis, from Ancient Greek ἔλλειψις (élleipsis, “omission”). Doublet of ellipse. The correct English form is ellipsis, spelled E-L-L-I-P-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A mark consisting of multiple full stops (with or without spaces), used to indicate omitted, missing, or illegible words; or (in mathematics) that a pattern continues.
  2. 2
    The omission of a word or phrase that can be inferred from the context.
  3. 3
    The omission of scenes in a film that do not advance the plot.
  4. 4
    An ellipse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The ellipsis in 1, 2, 3, ..., 8, 9 means that the numbers 4, 5, 6, and 7 are not explicitly included, but are considered to be part of the pattern.
  2. The ellipsis in 0.333... means that the number is a repeating decimal, having threes that go on forever.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin ellīpsis, from Ancient Greek ἔλλειψις (élleipsis, “omission”). Doublet of ellipse.

This word in other languages

puntos suspensivos(Español)points de suspension(Français)Auslassungspunkte(Deutsch)elipse(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 "ellipsis"?
"ellipsis" is spelled E-L-L-I-P-S-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈlɪp.sɪs/.
What does "ellipsis" mean?
As a noun, "ellipsis" means: A mark consisting of multiple full stops (with or without spaces), used to indicate omitted, missing, or illegible words; or (in mathematics) that a pattern continues.
How do you pronounce "ellipsis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ellipsis" is /ɪˈlɪp.sɪs/. 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 "ellipsis"?
Unadapted borrowing from Latin ellīpsis, from Ancient Greek ἔλλειψις (élleipsis, “omission”). Doublet of ellipse. 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 "ellipsis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

emoticon#57,366Eastlake#57,359dovetail#57,349doldrums#57,346

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list