osmosis

/ɒzˈməʊ̯sɪs/

//ɒzˈməʊ̯sɪs// noun

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

"osmosis" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“osmosis” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,609. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,609
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The net movement of solvent molecules, usually water, from a region of lower solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration through a partially permeable membrane.

Corpus desk

Index EN-osmosis · osmosis · English

osmosis · rank #37,609 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,609
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH ordinator

Nearest frequency peer: ordinator (-2 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 “osmosis”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “osmosis” 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
Key facts for osmosis
PropertyValue
Headwordosmosis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɒzˈməʊ̯sɪs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#37,609
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “osmosis”

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).osmosislands 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 “ordinator” (#37,607), “overhang” (#37,611), “Oxley” (#37,612). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “osmosis” is #37,609. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around osmosis (IPA /ɒzˈməʊ̯sɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,609 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for osmosis, with forms such as "omsosis", "osmmosis", and "osmoiss". 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. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From endosmose and exosmose, both coined by French physician Henri Dutrochet in 1826; from (respectively) Ancient Greek ἔνδον (éndon, “within”) and Ancient Greek ἔξω (éxō, “outer, external”), plus Ancient Greek ὠσμός (ōsmós, “push, impulsion”), from ὠθέω (ō… The correct English form is osmosis, spelled O-S-M-O-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The net movement of solvent molecules, usually water, from a region of lower solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration through a partially permeable membrane.
  2. 2
    Passive absorption or impartation of information, habits, etc.; the process of teaching or learning particular knowledge incidentally rather than consciously.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonym: serendipity
  2. I was reading about chickens, and I guess I learned about hawks through osmosis.

Etymology

From endosmose and exosmose, both coined by French physician Henri Dutrochet in 1826; from (respectively) Ancient Greek ἔνδον (éndon, “within”) and Ancient Greek ἔξω (éxō, “outer, external”), plus Ancient Greek ὠσμός (ōsmós, “push, impulsion”), from ὠθέω (ōthéō).

This word in other languages

ósmosis(Español)osmose(Français)Osmose(Deutsch)osmose(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • omsosis
  • osmmosis
  • osmoiss
  • osmosiss
  • osmossi
  • osmossis
  • osmsois
  • osomsis
  • ossmosis
  • somosis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of osmosis - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

omsosis2osmmosis1osmoiss2osmosiss1osmossi2osmossis1osmsois2osomsis2
Edit distance from "osmosis"

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 "osmosis"?
"osmosis" is spelled O-S-M-O-S-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɒzˈməʊ̯sɪs/.
What does "osmosis" mean?
As a noun, "osmosis" means: The net movement of solvent molecules, usually water, from a region of lower solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration through a partially permeable membrane.
What are common misspellings of "osmosis"?
Common misspellings include "omsosis", "osmmosis", "osmoiss", "osmosiss", "osmossi". The correct spelling is "osmosis".
How do you pronounce "osmosis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "osmosis" is /ɒzˈməʊ̯sɪs/. 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 "osmosis"?
From endosmose and exosmose, both coined by French physician Henri Dutrochet in 1826; from (respectively) Ancient Greek ἔνδον (éndon, “within”) and Ancient Greek ἔξω (éxō, “outer, external”), plus Ancient Greek ὠσμός (ōsmós, “push, impulsion”), fr... 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 "osmosis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

parkour#37,621politic#37,629narrate#37,586moronic#37,579

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Modesto10 variantsQuigley10 variantsManipur10 variantsreseller10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list