polycystic

/ˌpɒlɪˈsɪstɪk/

//ˌpɒlɪˈsɪstɪk// adj

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

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

The verdict

“polycystic” is uncommon English (frequency #60,382 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,382
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having many cysts.

Corpus desk

Index EN-polycystic · polycystic · English

polycystic · rank #60,382 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,382
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH politicization

Nearest frequency peer: politicization (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “polycystic”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “polycystic” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for polycystic
PropertyValue
Headwordpolycystic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌpɒlɪˈsɪstɪk/
Letters10
Frequency rank#60,382
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “polycystic” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).polycysticfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “politicization” (#60,381), “polyp” (#60,383), “polemics” (#60,380). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “polycystic” is #60,382. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

polycystic is uncommon English at frequency #60,382 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌpɒlɪˈsɪstɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Having many cysts.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for polycystic, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From poly- + cystic. The correct English form is polycystic, spelled P-O-L-Y-C-Y-S-T-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having many cysts.

Etymology

From poly- + cystic.

This word in other languages

polykystique(Français)

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 "polycystic"?
"polycystic" is spelled P-O-L-Y-C-Y-S-T-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpɒlɪˈsɪstɪk/.
What does "polycystic" mean?
As an adjective, "polycystic" means: Having many cysts.
How do you pronounce "polycystic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "polycystic" is /ˌpɒlɪˈsɪstɪk/. 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 "polycystic"?
From poly- + cystic. 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 "polycystic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

pleasuring#60,375Pleasanton#60,374proclivity#60,397periwinkle#60,356

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list