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 May 6, 2026) - A ship that is designed and used for research.

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

Where “research ship” sits in English frequency

research ship falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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.

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.

Using “research ship”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-S-E-A-R-C-H- -S-H-I-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹɪˌsɜːt͡ʃ ˈʃɪp/ (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
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