homicide

/ˈhɒm.ɪˌsaɪ̯d/

//ˈhɒm.ɪˌsaɪ̯d// noun

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

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

The verdict

“homicide” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,616 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,616
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The killing of one person by another, whether premeditated or unintentional.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

homicide vs homicidal
78% similar

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

Key facts for homicide
PropertyValue
Headwordhomicide
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɒm.ɪˌsaɪ̯d/
Letters8
Frequency rank#9,616
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “homicide” 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). homicide 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 homicide is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhɒm.ɪˌsaɪ̯d/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,616 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for homicide, with forms such as "hhomicide", "hmoicide", and "hoimcide". 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, "homicidal", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French homicide, from Latin homicīda (“man-slayer”) and homicīdium (“manslaughter”). The correct English form is homicide, spelled H-O-M-I-C-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The killing of one person by another, whether premeditated or unintentional.
  2. 2
    A person who kills another.
  3. 3
    A victim of homicide; a person who has been unlawfully killed by someone else.
  4. 4
    The department within a police force that investigates cases of homicide.

Etymology

From Old French homicide, from Latin homicīda (“man-slayer”) and homicīdium (“manslaughter”).

Synonyms

assassinationkillingfirst-degree murdermanslaughtermurdersecond-degree murderkillermurder victim

This word in other languages

homicidio(Español)homicide(Français)Mord(Deutsch)homicídio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhomicide,hmoicide,hoimcide,homciide,homiccide,homicdie,homicidde,homicied,homiicde,hommicide,ohmicide

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of homicide - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hhomicide1hmoicide2hoimcide2homciide2homiccide1homicdie2homicidde1homicied2
Edit distance from "homicide"

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 "homicide"?
"homicide" is spelled H-O-M-I-C-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɒm.ɪˌsaɪ̯d/.
What does "homicide" mean?
As a noun, "homicide" means: The killing of one person by another, whether premeditated or unintentional.
What words are commonly confused with "homicide"?
"homicide" is commonly confused with "homicidal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "homicide"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "homicide" is /ˈhɒm.ɪˌsaɪ̯d/. 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 "homicide"?
From Old French homicide, from Latin homicīda (“man-slayer”) and homicīdium (“manslaughter”). 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 “homicide”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-O-M-I-C-I-D-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhɒm.ɪˌsaɪ̯d/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “homicidal” - see the side-by-side comparison. homicide vs homicidal
  • 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