neurosis

/n(j)ʊˈɹəʊ̯.sɪs/

//n(j)ʊˈɹəʊ̯.sɪs// noun

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

"neurosis" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“neurosis” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,919. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,919
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mental disorder, less severe than psychosis, marked by anxiety or fear which differ from normal measures by their intensity, which disorder results from a failure to compromise or properly adjust...

Corpus desk

Index EN-neurosis · neurosis · English

neurosis · rank #48,919 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,919
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH nematode

Nearest frequency peer: nematode (-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 “neurosis”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “neurosis” 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).

neurosis vs neurotic
75% similar
neurosis vs necrosis
88% similar

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

Key facts for neurosis
PropertyValue
Headwordneurosis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/n(j)ʊˈɹəʊ̯.sɪs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#48,919
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “neurosis”

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).neurosislands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “nematode” (#48,918), “needlework” (#48,917), “Newhouse” (#48,921). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “neurosis” is #48,919. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around neurosis (IPA /n(j)ʊˈɹəʊ̯.sɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,919 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A mental disorder, less severe than psychosis, marked by anxiety or fear which differ from normal measures by their intensity, which disorder results from a failure to compromise or properly adjust...".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for neurosis, with forms such as "enurosis", "neruosis", and "neuorsis". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "neurotic", "necrosis", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From neuro- + -sis. The correct English form is neurosis, spelled N-E-U-R-O-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A mental disorder, less severe than psychosis, marked by anxiety or fear which differ from normal measures by their intensity, which disorder results from a failure to compromise or properly adjust during the developmental stages of life, between normal human instinctual impulses and the demands of human society.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. On inquiry it was found that this neurosis corresponded in time with the oncome of the catamenia.
  2. In the period from Spinoza to the end of the 19th century, the reading of design into nature received such devastating attacks from naturalists to non-naturalists alike that there developed an epistemological neurosis which Von Baer aptly termed “teleophobia.”

Etymology

From neuro- + -sis.

This word in other languages

neurosis(Español)névrose(Français)Neurose(Deutsch)neurose(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • enurosis
  • neruosis
  • neuorsis
  • neuroiss
  • neurosiss
  • neurossi
  • neurossis
  • neurrosis
  • neursois
  • nneurosis
  • nuerosis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

enurosis2neruosis2neuorsis2neuroiss2neurosiss1neurossi2neurossis1neurrosis1
Edit distance from "neurosis"

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 "neurosis"?
"neurosis" is spelled N-E-U-R-O-S-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /n(j)ʊˈɹəʊ̯.sɪs/.
What does "neurosis" mean?
As a noun, "neurosis" means: A mental disorder, less severe than psychosis, marked by anxiety or fear which differ from normal measures by their intensity, which disorder results from a failure to compromise or properly adjust...
What words are commonly confused with "neurosis"?
"neurosis" is commonly confused with "neurotic", "necrosis". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "neurosis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "neurosis" is /n(j)ʊˈɹəʊ̯.sɪs/. 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 "neurosis"?
From neuro- + -sis. 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 "neurosis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nematode#48,918Newhouse#48,921newlywed#48,922Nicolson#48,923

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Napster11 variantsobligate11 variantsOkanagan11 variantsMcMurdo11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list