pleonasm
/ˈpliː.əˌnæz.əm/
"pleonasm" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pleonasm” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Redundancy in wording.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pleonasm |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpliː.əˌnæz.əm/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pleonasm” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for pleonasm is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpliː.əˌnæz.əm/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
pleonasm has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Late Latin pleonasmus, from Ancient Greek πλεονασμός (pleonasmós), from πλεονάζω (pleonázō, “to be superfluous”), from πλείων (pleíōn, “more”). The correct English form is pleonasm, spelled P-L-E-O-N-A-S-M.
Definition
- 1Redundancy in wording.
- 2A phrase involving pleonasm; a phrase containing one or more words which are redundant because their meaning is expressed elsewhere in the phrase.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Late Latin pleonasmus, from Ancient Greek πλεονασμός (pleonasmós), from πλεονάζω (pleonázō, “to be superfluous”), from πλείων (pleíōn, “more”).
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 “pleonasm”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-L-E-O-N-A-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpliː.əˌnæz.əm/ (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.