posit

/ˈpɒzɪt/

//ˈpɒzɪt// noun

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

"posit" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“posit” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,036. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,036
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Something that is posited; a postulate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-posit · posit · English

posit · rank #39,036 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,036
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH polyurethane

Nearest frequency peer: polyurethane (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “posit”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “posit” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

posit vs pot
60% similar
posit vs psi
60% similar
posit vs PST
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for posit
PropertyValue
Headwordposit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɒzɪt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#39,036
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “posit”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).positlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “polyurethane” (#39,035), “Poughkeepsie” (#39,037), “Polynesia” (#39,034). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “posit” is #39,036. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around posit (IPA /ˈpɒzɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,036 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for posit, with forms such as "opsit", "poist", and "positt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pot", "psi", "PST", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin positus, perfect participle of pōnō (“put, place”). Noun sense 3 (type of number format) was coined by American computer scientist and businessman John Gustafson in 2017. The correct English form is posit, spelled P-O-S-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something that is posited; a postulate.
  2. 2
    Abbreviation of position.
  3. 3
    A number format representing a real number consisting of a sign bit, a variable-size "regime" part (which modifies the exponent), up to two exponent bits, and a fraction part, proposed as a more efficient alternative to IEEE 754 floats in AI applications.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how posit appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. With their new hardware implementation, which was synthesized in a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), the Complutense team was able to compare computations done using 32-bit floats and 32-bit posits side by side.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin positus, perfect participle of pōnō (“put, place”). Noun sense 3 (type of number format) was coined by American computer scientist and businessman John Gustafson in 2017.

This word in other languages

postulat(Français)Postulat(Deutsch)postulado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opsit
  • poist
  • positt
  • possit
  • posti
  • pposit
  • psoit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of posit - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

opsit2poist2positt1possit1posti2pposit1psoit2
Edit distance from "posit"

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 "posit"?
"posit" is spelled P-O-S-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɒzɪt/.
What does "posit" mean?
As a noun, "posit" means: Something that is posited; a postulate.
What words are commonly confused with "posit"?
"posit" is commonly confused with "pot", "psi", "PST". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "posit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "posit" is /ˈpɒzɪt/. 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 "posit"?
Borrowed from Latin positus, perfect participle of pōnō (“put, place”). Noun sense 3 (type of number format) was coined by American computer scientist and businessman John Gustafson in 2017. 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 "posit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Rahim#39,044Raina#39,045Paton#39,020parka#39,018

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Poisson7 variantsqueued7 variantspeddle7 variantsOxfam7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list