kerosene

/ˈkɛɹəsiːn/

//ˈkɛɹəsiːn// noun

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

"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
1,236
“K” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 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 ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-kerosene · kerosene · English

kerosene · rank #28,274 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,274
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH kayaking

Nearest frequency peer: kayaking (-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 “kerosene”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “kerosene” 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 kerosene
PropertyValue
Headwordkerosene
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɛɹəsiːn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#28,274
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “kerosene”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).kerosenelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “kayaking” (#28,273), “keto” (#28,275), “Kato” (#28,272). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “kerosene” is #28,274. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around kerosene (IPA /ˈkɛɹəsiːn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,274 among 1,236 “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

  1. 1
    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 in some remote or impoverished areas.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The kerosene lasted all winter, so the furnace kept us always warm.
  2. The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania.[…]It was used to make kerosene, the main fuel for artificial lighting after overfishing led to a shortage of whale blubber. Other liquids produced in…

Etymology

From Ancient Greek κηρός (kērós, “wax”) + -ene; a name trademarked in 1854.

This word in other languages

queroseno(Español)kérosène(Français)Petroleum(Deutsch)

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.

ekrosene2keorsene2keroesne2keroseen2kerosenne1kerosnee2kerossene1kerrosene1
Edit distance from "kerosene"

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"?
"kerosene" is spelled K-E-R-O-S-E-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɛɹəsiːn/.
What does "kerosene" mean?
As a noun, "kerosene" means: 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 ...
What are common misspellings of "kerosene"?
Common misspellings include "ekrosene", "keorsene", "keroesne", "keroseen", "kerosenne". The correct spelling is "kerosene".
How do you pronounce "kerosene"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kerosene" is /ˈkɛɹəsiːn/. 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 "kerosene"?
From Ancient Greek κηρός (kērós, “wax”) + -ene; a name trademarked in 1854. 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 "kerosene", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

kayaking#28,273jumpsuit#28,268likeable#28,281Marlboro#28,286

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Grossman11 variantsgrasped11 variantsfresher11 variantsrejoined11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list