fusiform

adj

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

The verdict

“fusiform” is uncommon English (frequency #73,210 among 18,613 “F” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,210
frequency rank, English
18,613
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Shaped like a spindle with yarn spun on it; having round or roundish cross-section and tapering at each end.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fusiform · fusiform · English

fusiform · rank #73,210 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,210
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 18,613
  • PHOTO-FINISH frittata

Nearest frequency peer: frittata (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “fusiform”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “fusiform” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for fusiform
PropertyValue
Headwordfusiform
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters8
Frequency rank#73,210
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fusiform” 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). fusiform lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

fusiform is uncommon English at frequency #73,210 among 18,613 “F” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Shaped like a spindle with yarn spun on it; having round or roundish cross-section and tapering at each end.".

fusiform has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin fusus (“spindle”) + -iform. The correct English form is fusiform, spelled F-U-S-I-F-O-R-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Shaped like a spindle with yarn spun on it; having round or roundish cross-section and tapering at each end.

Etymology

From Latin fusus (“spindle”) + -iform.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fusiform"?
"fusiform" is spelled F-U-S-I-F-O-R-M.
What does "fusiform" mean?
As an adjective, "fusiform" means: Shaped like a spindle with yarn spun on it; having round or roundish cross-section and tapering at each end.
What is the origin of the word "fusiform"?
From Latin fusus (“spindle”) + -iform. 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 "fusiform", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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