finasteride

/fɪnˈæs.təɹ.aɪd/

//fɪnˈæs.təɹ.aɪd// noun

"finasteride" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“finasteride” is uncommon English (frequency #82,295 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,295
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A medication used to treat male pattern baldness and benign prostatic hyperplasia in males.

Corpus desk

Index EN-finasteride · finasteride · English

finasteride · rank #82,295 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #82,295
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH filibustering

Nearest frequency peer: filibustering (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “finasteride”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “finasteride” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for finasteride
PropertyValue
Headwordfinasteride
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɪnˈæs.təɹ.aɪd/
Letters11
Frequency rank#82,295
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “finasteride” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “filibustering” (#82,294), “finca” (#82,296), “finial” (#82,297). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “finasteride” is #82,295. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

finasteride is uncommon English at frequency #82,295 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /fɪnˈæs.təɹ.aɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A medication used to treat male pattern baldness and benign prostatic hyperplasia in males.".

finasteride has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From fina (“possibly a coined pharmaceutical name developed by scientists at Merck”) + -steride (“a testosterone reductase inhibitor”). First use appears c. 1989 in the publication Pharmaceutical Business News. The correct English form is finasteride, spelled F-I-N-A-S-T-E-R-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A medication used to treat male pattern baldness and benign prostatic hyperplasia in males.

Etymology

From fina (“possibly a coined pharmaceutical name developed by scientists at Merck”) + -steride (“a testosterone reductase inhibitor”). First use appears c. 1989 in the publication Pharmaceutical Business News.

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); 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 "finasteride"?
"finasteride" is spelled F-I-N-A-S-T-E-R-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /fɪnˈæs.təɹ.aɪd/.
What does "finasteride" mean?
As a noun, "finasteride" means: A medication used to treat male pattern baldness and benign prostatic hyperplasia in males.
How do you pronounce "finasteride"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "finasteride" is /fɪnˈæs.təɹ.aɪd/. 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 "finasteride"?
From fina (“possibly a coined pharmaceutical name developed by scientists at Merck”) + -steride (“a testosterone reductase inhibitor”). First use appears c. 1989 in the publication Pharmaceutical Business News. 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 "finasteride", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list