microcosm

/ˈmaɪ.kɹə(ʊ)ˌkɒz.əm/

//ˈmaɪ.kɹə(ʊ)ˌkɒz.əm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“microcosm” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,094. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,094
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Human nature or the human body as representative of the wider universe; man considered as a miniature counterpart of divine or universal nature.

Corpus desk

Index EN-microcosm · microcosm · English

microcosm · rank #37,094 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,094
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Miki

Nearest frequency peer: Miki (+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 “microcosm”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “microcosm” 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 microcosm
PropertyValue
Headwordmicrocosm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmaɪ.kɹə(ʊ)ˌkɒz.əm/
Letters9
Frequency rank#37,094
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “microcosm”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).microcosmlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Miki” (#37,095), “Messier” (#37,092), “mille” (#37,096). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “microcosm” is #37,094. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around microcosm (IPA /ˈmaɪ.kɹə(ʊ)ˌkɒz.əm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,094 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for microcosm, with forms such as "imcrocosm", "mcirocosm", and "miccrocosm". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French microcosme, from Latin microcosmus, from Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós, “small”) + κόσμος (kósmos, “universe, order”); micro- + -cosm. The correct English form is microcosm, spelled M-I-C-R-O-C-O-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Human nature or the human body as representative of the wider universe; man considered as a miniature counterpart of divine or universal nature.
  2. 2
    The human body; a person.
  3. 3
    A smaller system which is seen as representative of a larger one.
  4. 4
    A small natural ecosystem; an artificial ecosystem set up as an experimental model.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Christian humanists were emphatic in their demand that a man who wishes to understand himself must realize that he is a little world that reflects on a smaller scale the larger world of the universe. […] On the other hand, the whole idea of man as a microcosm was questioned by those who were not in sympathy with the Christian humanists.
  2. If you see this in the Map of my Microcosme, followes it that I am knowne well enough too?

Etymology

From French microcosme, from Latin microcosmus, from Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós, “small”) + κόσμος (kósmos, “universe, order”); micro- + -cosm.

Antonyms

macrocosm

This word in other languages

microcosme(Français)Mikrokosmos(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imcrocosm
  • mcirocosm
  • miccrocosm
  • micorcosm
  • micrcoosm
  • microccosm
  • microcoms
  • microcosmm
  • microcossm
  • microcsom
  • microocsm
  • micrrocosm
  • mircocosm
  • mmicrocosm

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

imcrocosm2mcirocosm2miccrocosm1micorcosm2micrcoosm2microccosm1microcoms2microcosmm1
Edit distance from "microcosm"

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 "microcosm"?
"microcosm" is spelled M-I-C-R-O-C-O-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmaɪ.kɹə(ʊ)ˌkɒz.əm/.
What does "microcosm" mean?
As a noun, "microcosm" means: Human nature or the human body as representative of the wider universe; man considered as a miniature counterpart of divine or universal nature.
What are common misspellings of "microcosm"?
Common misspellings include "imcrocosm", "mcirocosm", "miccrocosm", "micorcosm", "micrcoosm". The correct spelling is "microcosm".
How do you pronounce "microcosm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "microcosm" is /ˈmaɪ.kɹə(ʊ)ˌkɒz.əm/. 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 "microcosm"?
From French microcosme, from Latin microcosmus, from Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós, “small”) + κόσμος (kósmos, “universe, order”); micro- + -cosm. 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 "microcosm", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Mennonite#37,091maddening#37,078lowercase#37,074liquidate#37,068

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

inclement14 variantshealthful14 variantspretender14 variantsGreenwald14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list