enthusiasm

/ɪnˈθuziæzəm/

//ɪnˈθuziæzəm// noun

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

"enthusiasm" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“enthusiasm” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,899. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,899
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Intensity of feeling; excited interest or eagerness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-enthusiasm · enthusiasm · English

enthusiasm · rank #6,899 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,899
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH ego

Nearest frequency peer: ego (-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 “enthusiasm”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “enthusiasm” 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).

enthusiasm vs enthusiast
90% similar

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

Key facts for enthusiasm
PropertyValue
Headwordenthusiasm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnˈθuziæzəm/
Letters10
Frequency rank#6,899
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “enthusiasm”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “ego” (#6,898), “Duncan” (#6,897), “equation” (#6,901). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “enthusiasm” is #6,899. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around enthusiasm (IPA /ɪnˈθuziæzəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,899 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for enthusiasm, with forms such as "enhtusiasm", "ennthusiasm", and "enthhusiasm". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "enthusiast", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested from 1603, from Middle French enthousiasme, from Late Latin enthusiasmus, from Ancient Greek ἐνθουσιασμός (enthousiasmós), from ἐν (en, “in”) + θεός (theós, “god”) + οὐσία (ousía, “essence”). The correct English form is enthusiasm, spelled E-N-T-H-U-S-I-A-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Intensity of feeling; excited interest or eagerness.
  2. 2
    Something in which one is keenly interested.
  3. 3
    Possession by a god; divine inspiration or frenzy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Try to curb your enthusiasm.
  2. They have a great enthusiasm for country music.

Etymology

First attested from 1603, from Middle French enthousiasme, from Late Latin enthusiasmus, from Ancient Greek ἐνθουσιασμός (enthousiasmós), from ἐν (en, “in”) + θεός (theós, “god”) + οὐσία (ousía, “essence”).

Synonyms

ardoralacritycelerityenergyenthusiasmexuberanceexuberantnessfanaticismfervorgustopurposevervevigorvimzealzealousness

Antonyms

apathylethargy

This word in other languages

entusiasmo(Español)enthousiasme(Français)Begeisterung(Deutsch)entusiasmo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • enhtusiasm
  • ennthusiasm
  • enthhusiasm
  • enthsuiasm
  • enthuisasm
  • enthusaism
  • enthusiams
  • enthusiasmm
  • enthusiassm
  • enthusisam
  • enthussiasm
  • entthusiasm
  • entuhsiasm
  • etnhusiasm
  • nethusiasm

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

enhtusiasm2ennthusiasm1enthhusiasm1enthsuiasm2enthuisasm2enthusaism2enthusiams2enthusiasmm1
Edit distance from "enthusiasm"

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 "enthusiasm"?
"enthusiasm" is spelled E-N-T-H-U-S-I-A-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈθuziæzəm/.
What does "enthusiasm" mean?
As a noun, "enthusiasm" means: Intensity of feeling; excited interest or eagerness.
What words are commonly confused with "enthusiasm"?
"enthusiasm" is commonly confused with "enthusiast". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "enthusiasm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "enthusiasm" is /ɪnˈθuziæzəm/. 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 "enthusiasm"?
First attested from 1603, from Middle French enthousiasme, from Late Latin enthusiasmus, from Ancient Greek ἐνθουσιασμός (enthousiasmós), from ἐν (en, “in”) + θεός (theós, “god”) + οὐσία (ousía, “essence”). 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 "enthusiasm", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dictionary#6,891complexity#6,883instructor#6,925questioned#6,954

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

associations15 variantsthreshold15 variantsreasonably15 variantsadaptation15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list