polystyrene
/pɒliˈstaɪriːn/
"polystyrene" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“polystyrene” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,162. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #37,162
- frequency rank, English
- 4,417
- “P” headwords
- 18
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - A vinylic polymer of styrene, CH₂CHphenyl.
Corpus desk
Index EN-polystyrene · polystyrene · English
polystyrene · rank #37,162 · 18 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-MID #37,162
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-HIGH 18 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,417
- PHOTO-FINISH politburo
Nearest frequency peer: politburo (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “polystyrene”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- PFC
PFC
62,844 corpus weight
- photojourna…
photojournalist
62,843 corpus weight
- plunges
plunges
62,841 corpus weight
- politburo
politburo
62,840 corpus weight
- polystyrene
polystyrene
62,839 corpus weight
- pontiff
pontiff
62,838 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “polystyrene” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | polystyrene |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /pɒliˈstaɪriːn/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #37,162 |
| Misspellings tracked | 18 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “polystyrene” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 18 spelling variants around polystyrene (IPA /pɒliˈstaɪriːn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,162 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for polystyrene, with forms such as "oplystyrene", "ploystyrene", and "pollystyrene". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From poly- + styrene. The correct English form is polystyrene, spelled P-O-L-Y-S-T-Y-R-E-N-E.
Definition
- 1A vinylic polymer of styrene, CH₂CHphenyl.
- 2An alkane chain of benzene molecules, RCH₂CHphenylR.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how polystyrene appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
It was 30 times lighter and more flexible than the polystyrene that had previously been used.
Gerri (Gemma Arterton): Well, he might not be begging. He might be waiting for somebody. / Tom: Of course he's begging. He's got a polystyrene cup in front of him.
Etymology
From poly- + styrene.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- oplystyrene
- ploystyrene
- pollystyrene
- polsytyrene
- polysstyrene
- polystryene
- polysttyrene
- polystyerne
- polystyreen
- polystyrenne
- polystyrnee
- polystyrrene
- polystyyrene
- polysytrene
- polytsyrene
- polyystyrene
- poylstyrene
- ppolystyrene
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of polystyrene - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "polystyrene"?
What does "polystyrene" mean?
What are common misspellings of "polystyrene"?
How do you pronounce "polystyrene"?
What is the origin of the word "polystyrene"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "polystyrene", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "polystyrene". Here's where to go from here.
- 18 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #37,162 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.