ringworm

/ˈɹɪŋˌwɝm/

//ˈɹɪŋˌwɝm// noun

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

"ringworm" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ringworm” is uncommon English (frequency #67,796 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,796
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A contagious fungal infection of the skin, characterized by ring-shaped discolored patches, covered by vesicles or scales.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ringworm · ringworm · English

ringworm · rank #67,796 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,796
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reverberate

Nearest frequency peer: reverberate (-3 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.

Long-tail ranks near “ringworm”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ringworm” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ringworm
PropertyValue
Headwordringworm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹɪŋˌwɝm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#67,796
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ringworm” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “reverberate” (#67,793), “Rogerson” (#67,799), “Rohrabacher” (#67,800). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “ringworm” is #67,796. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ringworm is uncommon English at frequency #67,796 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɹɪŋˌwɝm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A contagious fungal infection of the skin, characterized by ring-shaped discolored patches, covered by vesicles or scales.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ringworm, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ringworm (“ringworm; intestinal worm”), from Old English rengwyrm (“maw-worm, intestinal worm”), equivalent to ring + worm. The correct English form is ringworm, spelled R-I-N-G-W-O-R-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A contagious fungal infection of the skin, characterized by ring-shaped discolored patches, covered by vesicles or scales.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In superficial mycoses infection is localised to the skin, the hair, and the nails. An example is ringworm or tinea, an infection of the skin by a dermatophyte.
  2. Many of these natives, especially the lower classes, and fishermen, have their skins disfigured in a singular manner, by a sort of scurfy disease, similar to the ring-worm, or rather to a person whose skin was peeling off from the effects of the sun.

Etymology

From Middle English ringworm (“ringworm; intestinal worm”), from Old English rengwyrm (“maw-worm, intestinal worm”), equivalent to ring + worm.

Synonyms

dermatophytosistinea

This word in other languages

tiña(Español)teigne(Français)Ringelflechte(Deutsch)tinha(Português)

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 "ringworm"?
"ringworm" is spelled R-I-N-G-W-O-R-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɪŋˌwɝm/.
What does "ringworm" mean?
As a noun, "ringworm" means: A contagious fungal infection of the skin, characterized by ring-shaped discolored patches, covered by vesicles or scales.
How do you pronounce "ringworm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ringworm" is /ˈɹɪŋˌwɝm/. 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 "ringworm"?
From Middle English ringworm (“ringworm; intestinal worm”), from Old English rengwyrm (“maw-worm, intestinal worm”), equivalent to ring + worm. 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 "ringworm", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Rogerson#67,799redolent#67,785scornful#67,814secretes#67,817

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list