phthisis
/ˈ(f)θaɪsɪs/
"phthisis" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“phthisis” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An atrophy of the body or part of the body, especially pulmonary tuberculosis.
Corpus desk
Index EN-phthisis · phthisis · English
phthisis · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | phthisis |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈ(f)θaɪsɪs/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “phthisis” in English
Rare enough to double-check
phthisis is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈ(f)θaɪsɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An atrophy of the body or part of the body, especially pulmonary tuberculosis.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for phthisis, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin phthisis, from Ancient Greek φθίσις (phthísis, “consumption, decline, wasting away”), from φθίω (phthíō, “I waste away”). The correct English form is phthisis, spelled P-H-T-H-I-S-I-S.
Definition
- 1An atrophy of the body or part of the body, especially pulmonary tuberculosis.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how phthisis appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
For some months to my becoming acquainted with him, his physicians had declared him in a confirmed phthisis. It was his custom, indeed, to speak calmly of his approaching dissolution, as a matter neither to be avoided nor regretted.
Tired from his journey and his chronic lung weakness, which he had saved from turning to phthisis by winter sojourns in Egypt, he was yet goodhumoured enough when his deputy reported the arrival of a gang of Jews who wanted judgment on something or someone.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin phthisis, from Ancient Greek φθίσις (phthísis, “consumption, decline, wasting away”), from φθίω (phthíō, “I waste away”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.