masochist

/ˈmæ.səˌkɪst/

//ˈmæ.səˌkɪst// noun

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

"masochist" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“masochist” is uncommon English (frequency #56,899 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,899
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who enjoys pain or humiliation, or who derives pleasure from harming oneself or being harmed by others.

Corpus desk

Index EN-masochist · masochist · English

masochist · rank #56,899 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,899
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH marionette

Nearest frequency peer: marionette (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “masochist”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “masochist” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for masochist
PropertyValue
Headwordmasochist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmæ.səˌkɪst/
Letters9
Frequency rank#56,899
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “masochist” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).masochistfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “marionette” (#56,897), “Mbappe” (#56,901), “Mariel” (#56,896). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “masochist” is #56,899. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

masochist is uncommon English at frequency #56,899 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmæ.səˌkɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

masochist doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Leopold von Sacher-Masoch + -ist. Coined by Richard von Krafft-Ebing and popularized by Freud in relation to sadomasochism. The correct English form is masochist, spelled M-A-S-O-C-H-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who enjoys pain or humiliation, or who derives pleasure from harming oneself or being harmed by others.
  2. 2
    Someone who puts up with teasing.

Etymology

Leopold von Sacher-Masoch + -ist. Coined by Richard von Krafft-Ebing and popularized by Freud in relation to sadomasochism.

This word in other languages

masoquista(Español)masochiste(Français)Masochist(Deutsch)

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 "masochist"?
"masochist" is spelled M-A-S-O-C-H-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæ.səˌkɪst/.
What does "masochist" mean?
As a noun, "masochist" means: Someone who enjoys pain or humiliation, or who derives pleasure from harming oneself or being harmed by others.
How do you pronounce "masochist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "masochist" is /ˈmæ.səˌkɪst/. 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 "masochist"?
Leopold von Sacher-Masoch + -ist. Coined by Richard von Krafft-Ebing and popularized by Freud in relation to sadomasochism. 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 "masochist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Magnussen#56,892ketogenic#56,842pendragon#56,969primavera#56,991

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list