idiosyncrasy
/ˌɪdɪəʊˈsɪŋkɹəsi/
"idiosyncrasy" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“idiosyncrasy” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A behavior or way of thinking that is characteristic of a person or a group.
Corpus desk
Index EN-idiosyncrasy · idiosyncrasy · English
idiosyncrasy · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 12 letters
- VOW-6 6 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "I" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | idiosyncrasy |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌɪdɪəʊˈsɪŋkɹəsi/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “idiosyncrasy” in English
Rare enough to double-check
idiosyncrasy is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌɪdɪəʊˈsɪŋkɹəsi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for idiosyncrasy, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1604, in modern sense since 1665, from Ancient Greek ἰδιοσυγκρασία (idiosunkrasía, “one’s own temperament”), from ἴδιος (ídios, “one’s own”) + σύν (sún, “together”) + κρᾶσις (krâsis, “temperament”). By surface analysis, idio- + syn- + -crasy. The correct English form is idiosyncrasy, spelled I-D-I-O-S-Y-N-C-R-A-S-Y.
Definition
- 1A behavior or way of thinking that is characteristic of a person or a group.
- 2A peculiar individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance or factor; a risk factor.
- 3A peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how idiosyncrasy appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
This mode of death had been an idiosyncrasy with his family, for generations past; not often occurring, indeed, but, when it does occur, usually attacking individuals about the Judge’s time of life, and generally in the tension of some mental crisis, or, perhaps, in an access of wrath.
Every village has its idiosyncrasy, its constitution, often its own code of morality.
Etymology
First attested in 1604, in modern sense since 1665, from Ancient Greek ἰδιοσυγκρασία (idiosunkrasía, “one’s own temperament”), from ἴδιος (ídios, “one’s own”) + σύν (sún, “together”) + κρᾶσις (krâsis, “temperament”). By surface analysis, idio- + syn- + -crasy.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.