modernism

noun

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

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

The verdict

“modernism” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,523. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,523
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Modern or contemporary ideas, thought, practices, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-modernism · modernism · English

modernism · rank #24,523 · 14 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,523
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Moira

Nearest frequency peer: Moira (+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 “modernism”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “modernism” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

modernism vs modernity
78% similar
modernism vs modernist
89% similar
modernism vs modernize
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for modernism
PropertyValue
Headwordmodernism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Frequency rank#24,523
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “modernism”

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).modernismlands 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 “Moira” (#24,524), “modal” (#24,521), “Monique” (#24,526). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “modernism” is #24,523. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around modernism, anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,523 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 modernism, with forms such as "mdoernism", "mmodernism", and "moddernism". 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. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "modernity", "modernist", "modernize", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From modern + -ism. The correct English form is modernism, spelled M-O-D-E-R-N-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Modern or contemporary ideas, thought, practices, etc.
  2. 2
    Anything that is characteristic of modernity.
  3. 3
    Any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century.
  4. 4
    A religious movement in the early 20th century, condemned as heretical by Pope Pius X, which tried to reconcile Roman Catholic dogma with modern science and philosophy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Penrod is so referential as to be almost a work of postmodernism—assuming Tarkington could have imagined such a thing with modernism itself just beginning to steamroll over him.

Etymology

From modern + -ism.

This word in other languages

modernismo(Español)modernisme(Français)Modernismus(Deutsch)modernismo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mdoernism
  • mmodernism
  • moddernism
  • modenrism
  • moderinsm
  • modernims
  • modernismm
  • modernissm
  • modernnism
  • modernsim
  • moderrnism
  • modrenism
  • moedrnism
  • omdernism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mdoernism2mmodernism1moddernism1modenrism2moderinsm2modernims2modernismm1modernissm1
Edit distance from "modernism"

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 "modernism"?
"modernism" is spelled M-O-D-E-R-N-I-S-M.
What does "modernism" mean?
As a noun, "modernism" means: Modern or contemporary ideas, thought, practices, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "modernism"?
"modernism" is commonly confused with "modernity", "modernist", "modernize". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "modernism"?
From modern + -ism. 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 "modernism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Rasmussen#24,564incubator#24,478reiterate#24,570resultant#24,573

Similar misspelling depth

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

negotiator14 variantsoverloaded14 variantspressuring14 variantshabitable14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list