feminism

/ˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m/

//ˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m// noun

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

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

The verdict

“feminism” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,928 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,928
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state of being feminine; femininity.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

feminism vs feminist
88% similar
feminism vs feminists
78% similar
feminism vs feminine
75% similar

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

Key facts for feminism
PropertyValue
Headwordfeminism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m/
Letters8
Frequency rank#8,928
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “feminism” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for feminism is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,928 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for feminism, with forms such as "efminism", "feimnism", and "femiinsm". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "feminist", "feminists", "feminine", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French féminisme circa 1837, ultimately from Latin fēminīnus, from fēmina (“woman”). First recorded in English in 1851, originally meaning "the state of being feminine." Sense of "advocacy of women's rights" is from 1895. The correct English form is feminism, spelled F-E-M-I-N-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being feminine; femininity.
  2. 2
    A social theory or political movement which argues that legal and social restrictions on women must be removed in order to bring about equality of the sexes in all aspects of public and private life.

Etymology

From French féminisme circa 1837, ultimately from Latin fēminīnus, from fēmina (“woman”). First recorded in English in 1851, originally meaning "the state of being feminine." Sense of "advocacy of women's rights" is from 1895.

Antonyms

antifeminism

This word in other languages

feminismo(Español)féminisme(Français)Feminismus(Deutsch)feminismo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: efminism,feimnism,femiinsm,feminims,feminismm,feminissm,feminnism,feminsim,femminism,femniism,ffeminism,fmeinism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

efminism2feimnism2femiinsm2feminims2feminismm1feminissm1feminnism1feminsim2
Edit distance from "feminism"

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 "feminism"?
"feminism" is spelled F-E-M-I-N-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m/.
What does "feminism" mean?
As a noun, "feminism" means: The state of being feminine; femininity.
What words are commonly confused with "feminism"?
"feminism" is commonly confused with "feminist", "feminists", "feminine". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "feminism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "feminism" is /ˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m/. 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 "feminism"?
From French féminisme circa 1837, ultimately from Latin fēminīnus, from fēmina (“woman”). First recorded in English in 1851, originally meaning "the state of being feminine." Sense of "advocacy of women's rights" is from 1895. 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.

Using “feminism”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-E-M-I-N-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “feminist” - see the side-by-side comparison. feminism vs feminist
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list