pacifism

/ˈpæsɪfɪzəm/

//ˈpæsɪfɪzəm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“pacifism” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,391. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,391
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The support of peace, specifically:

Corpus desk

Index EN-pacifism · pacifism · English

pacifism · rank #44,391 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,391
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH padma

Nearest frequency peer: padma (+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 “pacifism”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pacifism” 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).

pacifism vs pacifist
88% similar
pacifism vs pacific
75% similar
pacifism vs pacifier
75% similar

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

Key facts for pacifism
PropertyValue
Headwordpacifism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpæsɪfɪzəm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#44,391
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pacifism”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).pacifismlands 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 “padma” (#44,392), “overhear” (#44,389), “pampering” (#44,393). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pacifism” is #44,391. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around pacifism (IPA /ˈpæsɪfɪzəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,391 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for pacifism, with forms such as "apcifism", "paccifism", and "pacfiism". 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. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "pacifist", "pacific", "pacifier", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French pacifisme, from pacifique; pacific + -ism. The correct English form is pacifism, spelled P-A-C-I-F-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The support of peace, specifically:
  2. 2
    The support of peace, specifically:
  3. 3
    The support of peace, specifically:
  4. 4
    The additional challenge of winning a game without harming any enemy characters.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist. I am willing to fight for peace. Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war.
  2. The individual pacifist (who may or may not follow a particular religion) can for example support voluntary euthanasia while at the same time retaining a consistent view about how to approach issues surrounding violent conflict and the common good. Although such issues raise complex ethical dilemmas, for some, pacifism can accomodate^([sic]) the possibili…

Etymology

From French pacifisme, from pacifique; pacific + -ism.

Synonyms

Gandhism

Antonyms

bellicismmilitarismwarism

This word in other languages

pacifismo(Español)pacifisme(Français)Pazifismus(Deutsch)pacifismo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apcifism
  • paccifism
  • pacfiism
  • paciffism
  • pacifims
  • pacifismm
  • pacifissm
  • pacifsim
  • paciifsm
  • paicfism
  • pcaifism
  • ppacifism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pacifism - 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.

apcifism2paccifism1pacfiism2paciffism1pacifims2pacifismm1pacifissm1pacifsim2
Edit distance from "pacifism"

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 "pacifism"?
"pacifism" is spelled P-A-C-I-F-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpæsɪfɪzəm/.
What does "pacifism" mean?
As a noun, "pacifism" means: The support of peace, specifically:
What words are commonly confused with "pacifism"?
"pacifism" is commonly confused with "pacifist", "pacific", "pacifier". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pacifism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pacifism" is /ˈpæsɪfɪzəm/. 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 "pacifism"?
From French pacifisme, from pacifique; pacific + -ism. 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 "pacifism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

overhear#44,389paralyze#44,394orgasmic#44,385Pasquale#44,397

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

operable12 variantsMusgrave12 variantsscreamer12 variantsIslamism12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list