# physics

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfɪz.ɪks/ · frequency rank #3,713

## Definitions
1. The branch of science concerned with the study of the properties and interactions of space, time, matter and energy.
2. The physical aspects of a phenomenon or a system, especially those examined or studied scientifically.

## Etymology
1580s; from physic (see also -ics), from Middle English phisik, from Old French fisike (“natural science, art of healing”), from Latin physica (“study of nature”), from Ancient Greek φυσική (phusikḗ), feminine singular of φυσικός (phusikós, “natural; physical”), from Ancient Greek φύσις (phúsis, “origin; nature, property”), from Ancient Greek φύω (phúō, “produce; bear; grow”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to appear, become, rise up”).

## Easily confused with
- **phonics** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/phonics-vs-physics)
- **physical** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/physical-vs-physics)
- **physicist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/physicist-vs-physics)

## Common misspellings (12)
`hpysics`, `phhysics`, `phsyics`, `phyiscs`, `physcis`, `physiccs`, `physicss`, `physisc`, `physsics`, `phyysics`, `pphysics`, `pyhsics`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/physics