isotope

/ˈaɪ.sə.təʊp/

//ˈaɪ.sə.təʊp// noun

"isotope" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“isotope” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,875. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,875
frequency rank, English
17,902
“I” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of two or more forms of an element where the atoms have the same number of protons, but a different number of neutrons within their nuclei. Thus, isotopes have the same atomic number but a diff...

Corpus desk

Index EN-isotope · isotope · English

isotope · rank #23,875 · 9 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #23,875
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 17,902
  • PHOTO-FINISH Interpol

Nearest frequency peer: Interpol (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “isotope”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “isotope” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

isotope vs isotopic
75% similar

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

Key facts for isotope
PropertyValue
Headwordisotope
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈaɪ.sə.təʊp/
Letters7
Frequency rank#23,875
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “isotope” 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). isotope lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around isotope (IPA /ˈaɪ.sə.təʊp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,875 among 17,902 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Any of two or more forms of an element where the atoms have the same number of protons, but a different number of neutrons within their nuclei. Thus, isotopes have the same atomic number but a diff...".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for isotope, with forms such as "iostope", "isootpe", and "isotoep". 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. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "isotopic", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From iso- (“equal”) + -tope (“place”), because the different isotopes of an element always occupy the same place in the periodic table. The term was coined by Scottish doctor Margaret Todd in 1909 and first used publicly on February 27, 1913 by English chem… The correct English form is isotope, spelled I-S-O-T-O-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of two or more forms of an element where the atoms have the same number of protons, but a different number of neutrons within their nuclei. Thus, isotopes have the same atomic number but a different mass number.

Etymology

From iso- (“equal”) + -tope (“place”), because the different isotopes of an element always occupy the same place in the periodic table. The term was coined by Scottish doctor Margaret Todd in 1909 and first used publicly on February 27, 1913 by English chemist Frederick Soddy.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iostope
  • isootpe
  • isotoep
  • isotoppe
  • isotpoe
  • isottope
  • issotope
  • istoope
  • siotope

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of isotope - 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.

iostope2isootpe2isotoep2isotoppe1isotpoe2isottope1issotope1istoope2
Edit distance from "isotope"

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 "isotope"?
"isotope" is spelled I-S-O-T-O-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaɪ.sə.təʊp/.
What does "isotope" mean?
As a noun, "isotope" means: Any of two or more forms of an element where the atoms have the same number of protons, but a different number of neutrons within their nuclei. Thus, isotopes have the same atomic number but a diff...
What words are commonly confused with "isotope"?
"isotope" is commonly confused with "isotopic". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "isotope"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "isotope" is /ˈaɪ.sə.təʊp/. 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 "isotope"?
From iso- (“equal”) + -tope (“place”), because the different isotopes of an element always occupy the same place in the periodic table. The term was coined by Scottish doctor Margaret Todd in 1909 and first used publicly on February 27, 1913 by En... 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 "isotope", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

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