quasar
/ˈkweɪ.zɑː/
"quasar" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“quasar” is uncommon English (frequency #57,653 among 2,880 “Q” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #57,653
- frequency rank, English
- 2,880
- “Q” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An extragalactic object, starlike in appearance, that is among the most luminous and (putatively) the most distant objects in the universe.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | quasar |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkweɪ.zɑː/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #57,653 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “quasar” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
quasar is uncommon English at frequency #57,653 among 2,880 “Q” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkweɪ.zɑː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An extragalactic object, starlike in appearance, that is among the most luminous and (putatively) the most distant objects in the universe.".
No misspelling variants are generated for quasar in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Blend of quasi- + stellar, from quasi-stellar radio source. Coined by American astrophysicist Hong-Yee Chiu in 1964 in an article in Physics Today. By surface analysis, quasi- + -ar. The correct English form is quasar, spelled Q-U-A-S-A-R.
Definition
- 1An extragalactic object, starlike in appearance, that is among the most luminous and (putatively) the most distant objects in the universe.
Etymology
Blend of quasi- + stellar, from quasi-stellar radio source. Coined by American astrophysicist Hong-Yee Chiu in 1964 in an article in Physics Today. By surface analysis, quasi- + -ar.
Synonyms
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); 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 "quasar"?
What does "quasar" mean?
How do you pronounce "quasar"?
What is the origin of the word "quasar"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “quasar”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is Q-U-A-S-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkweɪ.zɑː/ (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
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.