racist

/ˈɹeɪ.sɪst/

//ˈɹeɪ.sɪst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“racist” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,522. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,522
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who believes in or supports racism; a person who believes that a particular race is superior to others, or who discriminates against other races.

Corpus desk

Index EN-racist · racist · English

racist · rank #3,522 · 9 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,522
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH principles

Nearest frequency peer: principles (-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 “racist”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “racist” 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).

racist vs raise
67% similar
racist vs racks
67% similar
racist vs resist
67% similar

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

Key facts for racist
PropertyValue
Headwordracist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹeɪ.sɪst/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,522
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “racist”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “principles” (#3,521), “rarely” (#3,523), “prayer” (#3,520). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “racist” is #3,522. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around racist (IPA /ˈɹeɪ.sɪst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,522 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for racist, with forms such as "arcist", "raccist", and "racisst". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "raise", "racks", "resist", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1932 (noun), 1938 (adjective). Formed from racism (1928), paralleling French raciste (1892). Replaced older racialist (1910). Equivalent to race + -ist. The correct English form is racist, spelled R-A-C-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who believes in or supports racism; a person who believes that a particular race is superior to others, or who discriminates against other races.
  2. 2
    A person who races (cars, etc.).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I don't blame racists, sexists, lookists, or any other “ists” for what they personify and perpetuate. They are mere hostages of their egos.
  2. Almost all the students I interviewed and worked with in group-facilitated discussions resisted being called a racist. This label was just too painful and for most students would not be accepted.

Etymology

1932 (noun), 1938 (adjective). Formed from racism (1928), paralleling French raciste (1892). Replaced older racialist (1910). Equivalent to race + -ist.

This word in other languages

racista(Español)raciste(Français)Rassist(Deutsch)racista(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • arcist
  • raccist
  • racisst
  • racistt
  • racits
  • racsit
  • raicst
  • rcaist
  • rracist

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of racist - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

arcist2raccist1racisst1racistt1racits2racsit2raicst2rcaist2
Edit distance from "racist"

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 "racist"?
"racist" is spelled R-A-C-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹeɪ.sɪst/.
What does "racist" mean?
As a noun, "racist" means: A person who believes in or supports racism; a person who believes that a particular race is superior to others, or who discriminates against other races.
What words are commonly confused with "racist"?
"racist" is commonly confused with "raise", "racks", "resist". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "racist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "racist" is /ˈɹeɪ.sɪst/. 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 "racist"?
1932 (noun), 1938 (adjective). Formed from racism (1928), paralleling French raciste (1892). Replaced older racialist (1910). Equivalent to race + -ist. 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 "racist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

rarely#3,523prayer#3,520struck#3,530Moscow#3,511

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

morgan9 variantswalker9 variantswhoever9 variantsjudges9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list