kerosene
/ˈkɛɹəsiːn/
"kerosene" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“kerosene” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,274. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #28,274
- frequency rank, English
- 9,255
- “K” headwords
- 11
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A thin, often colorless or blue or straw-colored petroleum-based fuel, heavier than gasoline/petrol or naphtha but lighter than diesel, used primarily as jet fuel but also for heating and lighting ...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | kerosene |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɛɹəsiːn/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #28,274 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “kerosene” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 11 spelling variants around kerosene (IPA /ˈkɛɹəsiːn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,274 among 9,255 “K” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A thin, often colorless or blue or straw-colored petroleum-based fuel, heavier than gasoline/petrol or naphtha but lighter than diesel, used primarily as jet fuel but also for heating and lighting ...".
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for kerosene, with forms such as "ekrosene", "keorsene", and "keroesne". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek κηρός (kērós, “wax”) + -ene; a name trademarked in 1854. The correct English form is kerosene, spelled K-E-R-O-S-E-N-E.
Definition
- 1A thin, often colorless or blue or straw-colored petroleum-based fuel, heavier than gasoline/petrol or naphtha but lighter than diesel, used primarily as jet fuel but also for heating and lighting in some remote or impoverished areas.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek κηρός (kērós, “wax”) + -ene; a name trademarked in 1854.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ekrosene,keorsene,keroesne,keroseen,kerosenne,kerosnee,kerossene,kerrosene,kersoene,kkerosene,kreosene
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of kerosene - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "kerosene"?
What does "kerosene" mean?
What are common misspellings of "kerosene"?
How do you pronounce "kerosene"?
What is the origin of the word "kerosene"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “kerosene”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is K-E-R-O-S-E-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɛɹəsiːn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Same frequency band
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.