planisphere
/ˈpleɪ.nɪˌsfɪɚ/
"planisphere" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“planisphere” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any representation (map projection) of part of a sphere on a plane surface.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | planisphere |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpleɪ.nɪˌsfɪɚ/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “planisphere” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
planisphere is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpleɪ.nɪˌsfɪɚ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
planisphere doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From plani- + sphere or plani- + -sphere. The correct English form is planisphere, spelled P-L-A-N-I-S-P-H-E-R-E.
Definition
- 1Any representation (map projection) of part of a sphere on a plane surface.
- 2A map constructed by stereographic projection, as described in Ptolemy's treatise Planisphaerium and later used in planispheric astrolabes
- 3A map of the whole world, especially those from the 16th–17th century
- 4Any of several charts of the celestial sphere having an overlay or window that may be adjusted to show the stars visible at a particular time, or from a particular place.
Etymology
From plani- + sphere or plani- + -sphere.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “planisphere”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-L-A-N-I-S-P-H-E-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpleɪ.nɪˌsfɪɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.