narcissism
/ˈnɑːsəˌsɪzm/
"narcissism" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“narcissism” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #27,229 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #27,229
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A self-centered personality trait in which the person is infatuated with their own characteristics and image that are idealized while others and their differences are devalued in comparison (unless...
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | narcissism |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈnɑːsəˌsɪzm/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #27,229 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “narcissism” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for narcissism is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈnɑːsəˌsɪzm/. Corpus data places it at rank #27,229 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for narcissism, with forms such as "anrcissism", "nacrissism", and "narccissism". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "narcissus", "narcissist", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From obsolete German Narzissismus (now Narzissmus by haplology), from Narziss (“Narcissus”) + -ism. By surface analysis, Narciss(us) (“character in Greek mythology who became obsessed with his own reflection”) + -ism. The correct English form is narcissism, spelled N-A-R-C-I-S-S-I-S-M.
Definition
- 1A self-centered personality trait in which the person is infatuated with their own characteristics and image that are idealized while others and their differences are devalued in comparison (unless sameness kindles spectacular affinity that forms a rerouting of one's self-love, i.e. the person can see themselves in the other).
- 2Sexual desire for one's own body.
Etymology
From obsolete German Narzissismus (now Narzissmus by haplology), from Narziss (“Narcissus”) + -ism. By surface analysis, Narciss(us) (“character in Greek mythology who became obsessed with his own reflection”) + -ism.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: anrcissism,nacrissism,narccissism,narcisism,narcisissm,narcissims,narcissismm,narcississm,narcisssim,narcsisism,naricssism,narrcissism,nnarcissism,nracissism
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of narcissism - 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.
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 "narcissism"?
What does "narcissism" mean?
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Using “narcissism”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-A-R-C-I-S-S-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈnɑːsəˌsɪzm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “narcissus” - see the side-by-side comparison. narcissism vs narcissus
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.