fullerene

/ˈfʊləɹˌin/

//ˈfʊləɹˌin// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fullerene” is uncommon English (frequency #97,049 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,049
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of a class of allotropes of carbon having hollow molecules whose atoms lie at the vertices of a polyhedron having 12 pentagonal and 2 or more hexagonal faces.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fullerene · fullerene · English

fullerene · rank #97,049 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #97,049
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fretless

Nearest frequency peer: fretless (-2 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 “fullerene”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for fullerene
PropertyValue
Headwordfullerene
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfʊləɹˌin/
Letters9
Frequency rank#97,049
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fullerene” in English

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).fullerenefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “fretless” (#97,047), “fraulein” (#97,045), “Galashiels” (#97,053). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fullerene” is #97,049. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fullerene is uncommon English at frequency #97,049 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfʊləɹˌin/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

fullerene doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: After Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome, + -ene. The correct English form is fullerene, spelled F-U-L-L-E-R-E-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of a class of allotropes of carbon having hollow molecules whose atoms lie at the vertices of a polyhedron having 12 pentagonal and 2 or more hexagonal faces.
  2. 2
    Any closed-cage compound having twenty or more carbon atoms consisting entirely of 3-coordinate carbon atoms.
  3. 3
    The class of carbon allotropes consisting of tubular carbon molecules (carbon nanotubes) and spheroidal carbon molecules (traditional fullerenes).

Etymology

After Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome, + -ene.

This word in other languages

fullerène(Français)Fullerene(Deutsch)fulereno(Português)

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 "fullerene"?
"fullerene" is spelled F-U-L-L-E-R-E-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfʊləɹˌin/.
What does "fullerene" mean?
As a noun, "fullerene" means: Any of a class of allotropes of carbon having hollow molecules whose atoms lie at the vertices of a polyhedron having 12 pentagonal and 2 or more hexagonal faces.
How do you pronounce "fullerene"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fullerene" is /ˈfʊləɹˌin/. 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 "fullerene"?
After Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome, + -ene. 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 "fullerene", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

flowerpot#97,036Flannigan#97,031gloryhole#97,068gooseneck#97,074

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list