onionskin
"onionskin" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“onionskin” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A thin, strong, light, translucent paper; used especially for making carbon copies.
Corpus desk
Index EN-onionskin · onionskin · English
onionskin · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "O" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | onionskin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “onionskin” in English
Rare enough to double-check
onionskin is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for onionskin, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From onion + skin; named for its resemblance to the skin of an onion (thin and crinkly). The correct English form is onionskin, spelled O-N-I-O-N-S-K-I-N.
Definition
- 1A thin, strong, light, translucent paper; used especially for making carbon copies.
- 2A kind of marble with swirls of color on the outside.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how onionskin appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I heard the dry-leaf rustle of onionskin papers.
Etymology
From onion + skin; named for its resemblance to the skin of an onion (thin and crinkly).
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.