narcissus

/nɑɹˈsɪsəs/

//nɑɹˈsɪsəs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“narcissus” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,786. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,786
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several bulbous flowering plants, of the genus Narcissus, having white or yellow cup- or trumpet-shaped flowers, notably the daffodil

Corpus desk

Index EN-narcissus · narcissus · English

narcissus · rank #42,786 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,786
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nau

Nearest frequency peer: nau (+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 “narcissus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “narcissus” 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).

narcissus vs narcissism
80% similar
narcissus vs narcissist
80% similar

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

Key facts for narcissus
PropertyValue
Headwordnarcissus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nɑɹˈsɪsəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#42,786
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “narcissus”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “nau” (#42,787), “naively” (#42,784), “neurodegenerative” (#42,789). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “narcissus” is #42,786. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around narcissus (IPA /nɑɹˈsɪsəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #42,786 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for narcissus, with forms such as "anrcissus", "nacrissus", and "narccissus". 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, "narcissism", "narcissist", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin narcissus, from Ancient Greek νάρκισσος (nárkissos), ultimately either from Pre-Greek or related to νάρκη (nárkē). The correct English form is narcissus, spelled N-A-R-C-I-S-S-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several bulbous flowering plants, of the genus Narcissus, having white or yellow cup- or trumpet-shaped flowers, notably the daffodil
  2. 2
    A beautiful young man, like the mythological Greek Narcissus

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Daughters of the Flood have ſearch'd the Mead / For Violets pale, and cropt the Poppy's Head: / The Short Narciſſus and fair Daffodil, / Pancies to pleaſe the Sight, and Caſſia ſvveet to ſmell: […]
  2. At Hortus Bulborum you will find heirloom narcissi that date back at least to the 15th century and famous old tulips like 'Duc van Tol' (1595) and its sports.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin narcissus, from Ancient Greek νάρκισσος (nárkissos), ultimately either from Pre-Greek or related to νάρκη (nárkē).

This word in other languages

narciso(Español)narcisse(Français)Narzisse(Deutsch)narciso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anrcissus
  • nacrissus
  • narccissus
  • narcisssu
  • narcissuss
  • narcisus
  • narcisuss
  • narcsisus
  • naricssus
  • narrcissus
  • nnarcissus
  • nracissus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of narcissus - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

anrcissus2nacrissus2narccissus1narcisssu2narcissuss1narcisus1narcisuss2narcsisus2
Edit distance from "narcissus"

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 "narcissus"?
"narcissus" is spelled N-A-R-C-I-S-S-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /nɑɹˈsɪsəs/.
What does "narcissus" mean?
As a noun, "narcissus" means: Any of several bulbous flowering plants, of the genus Narcissus, having white or yellow cup- or trumpet-shaped flowers, notably the daffodil
What words are commonly confused with "narcissus"?
"narcissus" is commonly confused with "narcissism", "narcissist". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "narcissus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "narcissus" is /nɑɹˈsɪsəs/. 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 "narcissus"?
Borrowed from Latin narcissus, from Ancient Greek νάρκισσος (nárkissos), ultimately either from Pre-Greek or related to νάρκη (nárkē). 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 "narcissus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

occipital#42,799lightfoot#42,748prostrate#42,837quicksand#42,842

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

moorland12 variantslaudable12 variantspushover12 variantsRasputin12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list