ketamine

/ˈkɛt.ə.mɪn/

//ˈkɛt.ə.mɪn// noun

"ketamine" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ketamine” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,883. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,883
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A synthetic compound used as a dissociative anesthetic and analgesic drug and also recreationally as a hallucinogen.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ketamine · ketamine · English

ketamine · rank #32,883 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,883
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH kazan

Nearest frequency peer: kazan (-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 “ketamine”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ketamine” 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 ketamine
PropertyValue
Headwordketamine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɛt.ə.mɪn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#32,883
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ketamine”

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).ketaminelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “kazan” (#32,882), “Kinney” (#32,884), “Judea” (#32,881). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “ketamine” is #32,883. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around ketamine (IPA /ˈkɛt.ə.mɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,883 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A synthetic compound used as a dissociative anesthetic and analgesic drug and also recreationally as a hallucinogen.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for ketamine, with forms such as "ektamine", "keatmine", and "ketaimne". 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. 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: Blend of ketone + amine. First use appears c. 1966. The correct English form is ketamine, spelled K-E-T-A-M-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A synthetic compound used as a dissociative anesthetic and analgesic drug and also recreationally as a hallucinogen.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He was riding high that night, with a brick of Wage's ketamine on its way to Yokohama and the money already in his pocket.
  2. The chatbot instructed him to give up sleeping pills and an anti-anxiety medication, and to increase his intake of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, which ChatGPT described as a “temporary pattern liberator.”

Etymology

Blend of ketone + amine. First use appears c. 1966.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ektamine
  • keatmine
  • ketaimne
  • ketamien
  • ketaminne
  • ketammine
  • ketamnie
  • ketmaine
  • kettamine
  • kketamine
  • kteamine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ektamine2keatmine2ketaimne2ketamien2ketaminne1ketammine1ketamnie2ketmaine2
Edit distance from "ketamine"

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 "ketamine"?
"ketamine" is spelled K-E-T-A-M-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɛt.ə.mɪn/.
What does "ketamine" mean?
As a noun, "ketamine" means: A synthetic compound used as a dissociative anesthetic and analgesic drug and also recreationally as a hallucinogen.
What are common misspellings of "ketamine"?
Common misspellings include "ektamine", "keatmine", "ketaimne", "ketamien", "ketaminne". The correct spelling is "ketamine".
How do you pronounce "ketamine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ketamine" is /ˈkɛt.ə.mɪn/. 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 "ketamine"?
Blend of ketone + amine. First use appears c. 1966. 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 "ketamine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list