otitis

/oʊˈtaɪ.tɪs/

//oʊˈtaɪ.tɪs// noun

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

"otitis" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“otitis” is uncommon English (frequency #78,903 among 15,494 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,903
frequency rank, English
15,494
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Inflammation of the ear.

Key facts for otitis
PropertyValue
Headwordotitis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/oʊˈtaɪ.tɪs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#78,903
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “otitis” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

otitis is uncommon English at frequency #78,903 among 15,494 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /oʊˈtaɪ.tɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Inflammation of the ear.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for otitis, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ot- + -itis. The correct English form is otitis, spelled O-T-I-T-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Inflammation of the ear.

Etymology

From ot- + -itis.

This word in other languages

otitis(Español)otite(Français)Mittelohrentzündung(Deutsch)otite(Português)

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 "otitis"?
"otitis" is spelled O-T-I-T-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /oʊˈtaɪ.tɪs/.
What does "otitis" mean?
As a noun, "otitis" means: Inflammation of the ear.
How do you pronounce "otitis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "otitis" is /oʊˈtaɪ.tɪs/. 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 "otitis"?
From ot- + -itis. 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.

Using “otitis”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is O-T-I-T-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /oʊˈtaɪ.tɪs/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list