expressionism
/ɛksˈpɹɛˈʃən.ɪzm/
"expressionism" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“expressionism” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #48,735 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #48,735
- frequency rank, English
- 13
- letters
- 18
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A movement in the arts in which the artist did not depict objective reality, but rather a subjective expression of their inner experiences.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | expressionism |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɛksˈpɹɛˈʃən.ɪzm/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Frequency rank | #48,735 |
| Misspellings tracked | 18 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “expressionism” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for expressionism is 13 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɛksˈpɹɛˈʃən.ɪzm/. Corpus data places it at rank #48,735 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for expressionism, with forms such as "epxressionism", "experssionism", and "exppressionism". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "expressions", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French expressionnisme, equivalent to expression + -ism. The correct English form is expressionism, spelled E-X-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N-I-S-M.
Definition
- 1A movement in the arts in which the artist did not depict objective reality, but rather a subjective expression of their inner experiences.
- 2A somewhat analogous genre in early 20th century music.
Etymology
Borrowed from French expressionnisme, equivalent to expression + -ism.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: epxressionism,experssionism,exppressionism,expresionism,expresisonism,expressinoism,expressioinsm,expressionims,expressionismm,expressionissm,expressionnism,expressionsim,expressoinism,exprressionism,exprsesionism,exrpessionism,exxpressionism,xepressionism
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of expressionism - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "expressionism"?
What does "expressionism" mean?
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Using “expressionism”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-X-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɛksˈpɹɛˈʃən.ɪzm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “expressions” - see the side-by-side comparison. expressionism vs expressions
- 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.