phosphorus

/ˈfɒs.fə.ɹəs/

//ˈfɒs.fə.ɹəs// noun

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

"phosphorus" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“phosphorus” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,025. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,025
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A chemical element (symbol P) with an atomic number of 15, that exists in several allotropic forms.

Corpus desk

Index EN-phosphorus · phosphorus · English

phosphorus · rank #21,025 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #21,025
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pesticide

Nearest frequency peer: pesticide (-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 “phosphorus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “phosphorus” 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).

phosphorus vs Phosphor
70% similar

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

Key facts for phosphorus
PropertyValue
Headwordphosphorus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɒs.fə.ɹəs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#21,025
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “phosphorus”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “pesticide” (#21,024), “platter” (#21,026), “pessimistic” (#21,023). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “phosphorus” is #21,025. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around phosphorus (IPA /ˈfɒs.fə.ɹəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,025 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for phosphorus, with forms such as "hposphorus", "phhosphorus", and "phopshorus". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Phosphor", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin phōsphorus, from Ancient Greek φωσφόρος (phōsphóros, “the bearer of light”), from φῶς (phôs, “light”) + φέρω (phérō, “to bear, carry”). The correct English form is phosphorus, spelled P-H-O-S-P-H-O-R-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A chemical element (symbol P) with an atomic number of 15, that exists in several allotropic forms.
  2. 2
    Any substance exhibiting phosphorescence; a phosphor.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. For quotations using this term, see Citations:phosphorus.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin phōsphorus, from Ancient Greek φωσφόρος (phōsphóros, “the bearer of light”), from φῶς (phôs, “light”) + φέρω (phérō, “to bear, carry”).

This word in other languages

fósforo(Español)phosphore(Français)Phosphor(Deutsch)fósforo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hposphorus
  • phhosphorus
  • phopshorus
  • phoshporus
  • phosphhorus
  • phosphorrus
  • phosphorsu
  • phosphoruss
  • phosphours
  • phosphrous
  • phospohrus
  • phospphorus
  • phossphorus
  • phsophorus
  • pohsphorus
  • pphosphorus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hposphorus2phhosphorus1phopshorus2phoshporus2phosphhorus1phosphorrus1phosphorsu2phosphoruss1
Edit distance from "phosphorus"

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 "phosphorus"?
"phosphorus" is spelled P-H-O-S-P-H-O-R-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɒs.fə.ɹəs/.
What does "phosphorus" mean?
As a noun, "phosphorus" means: A chemical element (symbol P) with an atomic number of 15, that exists in several allotropic forms.
What words are commonly confused with "phosphorus"?
"phosphorus" is commonly confused with "Phosphor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "phosphorus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "phosphorus" is /ˈfɒs.fə.ɹəs/. 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 "phosphorus"?
Borrowed from Latin phōsphorus, from Ancient Greek φωσφόρος (phōsphóros, “the bearer of light”), from φῶς (phôs, “light”) + φέρω (phérō, “to bear, carry”). 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 "phosphorus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

marginally#20,995seasonally#21,058intolerant#20,970submissive#21,083

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

subsection16 variantsinflatable16 variantsdependable16 variantscontrasted16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list