ethnic cleansing
"ethnic-cleansing" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ethnic cleansing” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 16
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The mass expulsion or killing of people belonging to one ethnic group by those of another.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ethnic cleansing |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 16 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ethnic cleansing” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
ethnic cleansing is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The mass expulsion or killing of people belonging to one ethnic group by those of another.".
ethnic cleansing doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: Possibly a calque of Serbo-Croatian etničko čišćenje, though this is probably attested later. Popularized by (and still often associated with) the wars in former Yugoslavia during the 1990s; however, versions of the phrase have been attested since the 1860s… The correct English form is ethnic cleansing, spelled E-T-H-N-I-C- -C-L-E-A-N-S-I-N-G.
Definition
- 1The mass expulsion or killing of people belonging to one ethnic group by those of another.
Etymology
Possibly a calque of Serbo-Croatian etničko čišćenje, though this is probably attested later. Popularized by (and still often associated with) the wars in former Yugoslavia during the 1990s; however, versions of the phrase have been attested since the 1860s in various languages (with the earliest attestation translating directly to the phrase being Romanian purificare etnică from 1941) and it probably arose independently on numerous occasions.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “ethnic cleansing”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-T-H-N-I-C- -C-L-E-A-N-S-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.