racism

/ˈɹeɪsɪzm̩/

//ˈɹeɪsɪzm̩// noun

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

"racism" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“racism” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,703. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,703
frequency rank, English
21,470
“R” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The belief that there are distinct human races with inherent differences which determine their abilities, and generally that some are superior and others inferior.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

racism vs raise
67% similar
racism vs racks
67% similar
racism vs Rahim
50% similar

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

Key facts for racism
PropertyValue
Headwordracism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹeɪsɪzm̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,703
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “racism” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around racism (IPA /ˈɹeɪsɪzm̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,703 among 21,470 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for racism, with forms such as "arcism", "raccism", and "racims". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "raise", "racks", "Rahim", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French racisme, equivalent to race + -ism. The correct English form is racism, spelled R-A-C-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The belief that there are distinct human races with inherent differences which determine their abilities, and generally that some are superior and others inferior.
  2. 2
    The policies, practices, or systems (e.g. government or political) promoting this belief or promoting the dominance of one or more races over others.
  3. 3
    Prejudice or discrimination based upon race or ethnicity; (countable) an action of such discrimination.

Etymology

Borrowed from French racisme, equivalent to race + -ism.

Synonyms

ethnicism†racialismracism

This word in other languages

racismo(Español)racisme(Français)Rassismus(Deutsch)racismo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • arcism
  • raccism
  • racims
  • racismm
  • racissm
  • racsim
  • raicsm
  • rcaism
  • rracism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of racism - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

arcism2raccism1racims2racismm1racissm1racsim2raicsm2rcaism2
Edit distance from "racism"

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 "racism"?
"racism" is spelled R-A-C-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹeɪsɪzm̩/.
What does "racism" mean?
As a noun, "racism" means: The belief that there are distinct human races with inherent differences which determine their abilities, and generally that some are superior and others inferior.
What words are commonly confused with "racism"?
"racism" is commonly confused with "raise", "racks", "Rahim". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "racism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "racism" is /ˈɹeɪsɪzm̩/. 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 "racism"?
Borrowed from French racisme, equivalent to race + -ism. 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.

Using “racism”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-A-C-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɹeɪsɪzm̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “raise” - see the side-by-side comparison. racism vs raise
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list