interstice
/ɪnˈtɜː.stɪs/
"interstice" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“interstice” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small opening or space between objects, especially adjacent objects or objects set closely together, such as between cords in a rope, components of a multiconductor electrical cable or atoms in a...
Corpus desk
Index EN-interstice · interstice · English
interstice · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-4 4 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 | interstice |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɪnˈtɜː.stɪs/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “interstice” in English
Rare enough to double-check
interstice is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɪnˈtɜː.stɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for interstice in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From late Middle English interstice, from Old French interstice or directly from Latin interstitium (“a space between, gap, interval”), ultimately from intersistere (“to stand in between, to stop in the middle”), from inter- + sistere (“to stand, to stop”). The correct English form is interstice, spelled I-N-T-E-R-S-T-I-C-E.
Definition
- 1A small opening or space between objects, especially adjacent objects or objects set closely together, such as between cords in a rope, components of a multiconductor electrical cable or atoms in a crystal.
- 2A fragment of space.
- 3An interval of time required by the Roman Catholic Church between the attainment of different degrees of an order.
- 4A small interval of time free to be spent on activities other than one's primary goal.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how interstice appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
1887, Osborne Reynolds, Experiments showing Dilatancy, in Notices of the Proceedings, Volume 11, Royal Institution of Great Britain, page 360, The tide leaves the sand, though apparently dry on the surface, with all its interstices perfectly full of water which is kept up to the surface of the sand by capillary attraction; at the same time the water is pe…
Relics of the British empire now mostly survive in the interstices of the global economy. They are the major winners from the fiscal haemorrhage that has resulted from financial globalisation.
Etymology
From late Middle English interstice, from Old French interstice or directly from Latin interstitium (“a space between, gap, interval”), ultimately from intersistere (“to stand in between, to stop in the middle”), from inter- + sistere (“to stand, to stop”).
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.