homosexual

/ˌhɒməʊˈsɛksjuːəl/

//ˌhɒməʊˈsɛksjuːəl// adj

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

"homosexual" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“homosexual” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,863. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,863
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sexually and/or romantically attracted to members of the same sex, such as a man who is attracted to men or a woman who is attracted to women; gay. (Typically used in the sense of sole/exclusive at...

Corpus desk

Index EN-homosexual · homosexual · English

homosexual · rank #10,863 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,863
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hulk

Nearest frequency peer: hulk (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “homosexual”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “homosexual” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for homosexual
PropertyValue
Headwordhomosexual
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌhɒməʊˈsɛksjuːəl/
Letters10
Frequency rank#10,863
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “homosexual”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “hulk” (#10,864), “heavens” (#10,861), “hydraulic” (#10,865). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “homosexual” is #10,863. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around homosexual (IPA /ˌhɒməʊˈsɛksjuːəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #10,863 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for homosexual, with forms such as "hhomosexual", "hmoosexual", and "hommosexual". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from German homosexual, from homo- (“same”) + sexual (“relating to sex or sexuality”), coined by Karl Maria Kertbeny in 1868, and popularized in Richard von Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia Sexualis (2nd ed. 1887, in German) and Charles Gilbert Chaddock… The correct English form is homosexual, spelled H-O-M-O-S-E-X-U-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sexually and/or romantically attracted to members of the same sex, such as a man who is attracted to men or a woman who is attracted to women; gay. (Typically used in the sense of sole/exclusive attraction.)
  2. 2
    Between two people of the same sex; gay.
  3. 3
    Intended for or used by homosexuals, as a nightclub, a bar, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how homosexual appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. No, it wouldn't make a difference if the applicant was homosexual.
  2. [H]e said he had never noticed anything homosexual in himself.

Etymology

Borrowed from German homosexual, from homo- (“same”) + sexual (“relating to sex or sexuality”), coined by Karl Maria Kertbeny in 1868, and popularized in Richard von Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia Sexualis (2nd ed. 1887, in German) and Charles Gilbert Chaddock's 1892 English translation thereof (compare bisexual), displacing the slightly older term Uranian. Equivalent to homo- + -sexual.

Synonyms

gaylesbiansame-sexhomophilehomosexuallike thatqueersimilisexualthat way

Antonyms

heterosexualstraighthetero

This word in other languages

homosexual(Español)homosexuel(Français)homosexuell(Deutsch)homo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhomosexual
  • hmoosexual
  • hommosexual
  • homoesxual
  • homoseuxal
  • homosexaul
  • homosexuall
  • homosexula
  • homosexxual
  • homossexual
  • homosxeual
  • homsoexual
  • hoomsexual
  • ohmosexual

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of homosexual - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hhomosexual1hmoosexual2hommosexual1homoesxual2homoseuxal2homosexaul2homosexuall1homosexula2
Edit distance from "homosexual"

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 "homosexual"?
"homosexual" is spelled H-O-M-O-S-E-X-U-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌhɒməʊˈsɛksjuːəl/.
What does "homosexual" mean?
As an adjective, "homosexual" means: Sexually and/or romantically attracted to members of the same sex, such as a man who is attracted to men or a woman who is attracted to women; gay. (Typically used in the sense of sole/exclusive at...
What are common misspellings of "homosexual"?
Common misspellings include "hhomosexual", "hmoosexual", "hommosexual", "homoesxual", "homoseuxal". The correct spelling is "homosexual".
How do you pronounce "homosexual"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "homosexual" is /ˌhɒməʊˈsɛksjuːəl/. 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 "homosexual"?
Borrowed from German homosexual, from homo- (“same”) + sexual (“relating to sex or sexuality”), coined by Karl Maria Kertbeny in 1868, and popularized in Richard von Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia Sexualis (2nd ed. 1887, in German) and Charles Gilber... 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 "homosexual", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

downstairs#10,843microphone#10,887devastated#10,838Nottingham#10,895

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

hydraulic14 variantsincapable14 variantsmurdering14 variantssunglasses14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list