epidermis

/ˌɛp.ɪˈdɜː.mɪs/

//ˌɛp.ɪˈdɜː.mɪs// noun

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

"epidermis" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“epidermis” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,109. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,109
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The outer, protective layer of the skin of vertebrates, covering the dermis

Corpus desk

Index EN-epidermis · epidermis · English

epidermis · rank #41,109 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,109
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ephesus

Nearest frequency peer: Ephesus (-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 “epidermis”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “epidermis” 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).

epidermis vs epidemic
78% similar
epidermis vs epidermal
78% similar

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

Key facts for epidermis
PropertyValue
Headwordepidermis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɛp.ɪˈdɜː.mɪs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#41,109
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “epidermis”

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).epidermislands 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 “Ephesus” (#41,108), “epinephrine” (#41,110), “entomologist” (#41,107). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “epidermis” is #41,109. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around epidermis (IPA /ˌɛp.ɪˈdɜː.mɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #41,109 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for epidermis, with forms such as "eipdermis", "epdiermis", and "epiddermis". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "epidemic", "epidermal", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin epidermis, from Ancient Greek ἐπιδερμίς (epidermís), ἐπί (epí, “on top of”) + δέρμα (dérma, “skin”). Equivalent to epi- + dermis. The correct English form is epidermis, spelled E-P-I-D-E-R-M-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The outer, protective layer of the skin of vertebrates, covering the dermis
  2. 2
    The similar outer layer of cells in invertebrates and plants

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin epidermis, from Ancient Greek ἐπιδερμίς (epidermís), ἐπί (epí, “on top of”) + δέρμα (dérma, “skin”). Equivalent to epi- + dermis.

Synonyms

cuticle

This word in other languages

epidermis(Español)épiderme(Français)Epidermis(Deutsch)epiderme(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eipdermis
  • epdiermis
  • epiddermis
  • epidemris
  • epiderims
  • epidermiss
  • epidermmis
  • epidermsi
  • epiderrmis
  • epidremis
  • epiedrmis
  • eppidermis
  • peidermis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of epidermis - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

eipdermis2epdiermis2epiddermis1epidemris2epiderims2epidermiss1epidermmis1epidermsi2
Edit distance from "epidermis"

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 "epidermis"?
"epidermis" is spelled E-P-I-D-E-R-M-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɛp.ɪˈdɜː.mɪs/.
What does "epidermis" mean?
As a noun, "epidermis" means: The outer, protective layer of the skin of vertebrates, covering the dermis
What words are commonly confused with "epidermis"?
"epidermis" is commonly confused with "epidemic", "epidermal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "epidermis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "epidermis" is /ˌɛp.ɪˈdɜː.mɪs/. 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 "epidermis"?
Borrowed from Latin epidermis, from Ancient Greek ἐπιδερμίς (epidermís), ἐπί (epí, “on top of”) + δέρμα (dérma, “skin”). Equivalent to epi- + dermis. 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 "epidermis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

faltering#41,119diverging#41,089dishonour#41,087dictation#41,082

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

fricking13 variantsfrowning13 variantsgrunting13 variantsblowback13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list