phosphine

/ˈfɒsfiːn/

//ˈfɒsfiːn// noun

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

"phosphine" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“phosphine” is uncommon English (frequency #93,005 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#93,005
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - A toxic gas, chemical formula PH₃.

Corpus desk

Index EN-phosphine · phosphine · English

phosphine · rank #93,005 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #93,005
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Philpot

Nearest frequency peer: Philpot (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “phosphine”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “phosphine” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026
Key facts for phosphine
PropertyValue
Headwordphosphine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɒsfiːn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#93,005
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “phosphine” 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). phosphine 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

phosphine is uncommon English at frequency #93,005 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfɒsfiːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for phosphine, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From phosph- + -ine. The correct English form is phosphine, spelled P-H-O-S-P-H-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A toxic gas, chemical formula PH₃.
  2. 2
    Any alkyl or aryl derivative of this compound, PR₃ (where at least one R is not H),
  3. 3
    Chrysaniline, often in the form of a salt.

Etymology

From phosph- + -ine.

Synonyms

phosphanephosphorus hydridephosphureted hydrogen

This word in other languages

phosphine(Français)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "phosphine"?
"phosphine" is spelled P-H-O-S-P-H-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɒsfiːn/.
What does "phosphine" mean?
As a noun, "phosphine" means: A toxic gas, chemical formula PH₃.
How do you pronounce "phosphine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "phosphine" is /ˈfɒsfiːn/. 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 "phosphine"?
From phosph- + -ine. 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 "phosphine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

phenology#93,001permalink#92,996pizzicato#93,015perforate#92,994

What to do next

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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