onanism
/ˈəʊnəˌnɪzəm/
"onanism" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“onanism” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Masturbation.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | onanism |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈəʊnəˌnɪzəm/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “onanism” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for onanism is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈəʊnəˌnɪzəm/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for onanism, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Onan + -ism. In the Book of Genesis, Onan, son of Judah, in fulfillment of the laws of levirate marriage was to impregnate his brother Er's widow, Tamar, in order to raise offspring from the union in his brother's name. In order to avoid raising descen… The correct English form is onanism, spelled O-N-A-N-I-S-M.
Definition
- 1Masturbation.
- 2Ejaculating outside the vagina during intercourse; (the performing of) coitus interruptus.
Etymology
From Onan + -ism. In the Book of Genesis, Onan, son of Judah, in fulfillment of the laws of levirate marriage was to impregnate his brother Er's widow, Tamar, in order to raise offspring from the union in his brother's name. In order to avoid raising descendants for his late brother, however, Onan "spilled his semen on the ground when he went in to his brother's wife, so that he would not give offspring to his brother" (Genesis 38:9).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “onanism”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-N-A-N-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈəʊnəˌnɪzəm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.