research ship

/ɹɪˌsɜːt͡ʃ ˈʃɪp/

//ɹɪˌsɜːt͡ʃ ˈʃɪp// noun

"research-ship" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“research ship” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A ship that is designed and used for research.

Corpus desk

Index EN-research-ship · research ship · English

research ship · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "R" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for research ship
PropertyValue
Headwordresearch ship
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˌsɜːt͡ʃ ˈʃɪp/
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “research ship” in English

research shipranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

research ship is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɹɪˌsɜːt͡ʃ ˈʃɪp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A ship that is designed and used for research.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for research ship in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From research (noun) + ship (noun). The correct English form is research ship, spelled R-E-S-E-A-R-C-H- -S-H-I-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A ship that is designed and used for research.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Eight stations were occupied by the researchship Ryofu-Maru along the 30° N-line which crossed the Japan Trench at the vicinity of Ramapo Deep, during the period from May 12 to June 20.
  2. Experience also shows that a research ship spends from one quarter to one half of her sea time on scientific station when the sustained speed seldom exceeds 3.5 knots.

Etymology

From research (noun) + ship (noun).

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "research ship"?
"research ship" is spelled R-E-S-E-A-R-C-H- -S-H-I-P. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˌsɜːt͡ʃ ˈʃɪp/.
What does "research ship" mean?
As a noun, "research ship" means: A ship that is designed and used for research.
How do you pronounce "research ship"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "research ship" is /ɹɪˌsɜːt͡ʃ ˈʃɪp/. 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 "research ship"?
From research (noun) + ship (noun). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list