saccharin

/ˈsækəɹɪn/

//ˈsækəɹɪn// noun

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

"saccharin" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“saccharin” is uncommon English (frequency #90,923 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,923
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A white, crystalline powder, C₇H₅NO₃S, used as an artificial sweetener in food products.

Corpus desk

Index EN-saccharin · saccharin · English

saccharin · rank #90,923 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #90,923
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH rutted

Nearest frequency peer: rutted (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “saccharin”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for saccharin
PropertyValue
Headwordsaccharin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsækəɹɪn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#90,923
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “saccharin” 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).saccharinfalls 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: “rutted” (#90,922), “sadden” (#90,924), “Rumpelstiltskin” (#90,921). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “saccharin” is #90,923. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

saccharin is uncommon English at frequency #90,923 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsækəɹɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A white, crystalline powder, C₇H₅NO₃S, used as an artificial sweetener in food products.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for saccharin, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱorkeh₂ Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćárkaraH Proto-Indo-Aryan *śárkaraH Sanskrit शर्क॑रा (śárkarā) Pali sakkharābor. Ancient Greek σᾰ́κχᾰρ (sắkkhăr) Ancient Greek σάκχᾰρον (sákkhăron)der. Latin saccharon Latin saccharum Proto-Ger… The correct English form is saccharin, spelled S-A-C-C-H-A-R-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A white, crystalline powder, C₇H₅NO₃S, used as an artificial sweetener in food products.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Some examples of the sweeteners include aspartame, saccharin, sucralose and stevia. The W.H.O.’s announcement contradicts previous studies that have said these sweeteners don’t offer any health benefits but also do not cause harm.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱorkeh₂ Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćárkaraH Proto-Indo-Aryan *śárkaraH Sanskrit शर्क॑रा (śárkarā) Pali sakkharābor. Ancient Greek σᾰ́κχᾰρ (sắkkhăr) Ancient Greek σάκχᾰρον (sákkhăron)der. Latin saccharon Latin saccharum Proto-Germanic *-inī Proto-West Germanic *-ini Old High German -in Middle High German -in German -in German Saccharinbor. English saccharin From German Saccharin, coined in 1879 by the Russian-born chemist Constantin Fahlberg (1850–1910) who discovered it, from Latin saccharon, saccharum + -in.

Synonyms

E954

This word in other languages

sacarina(Español)saccharine(Français)

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 "saccharin"?
"saccharin" is spelled S-A-C-C-H-A-R-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsækəɹɪn/.
What does "saccharin" mean?
As a noun, "saccharin" means: A white, crystalline powder, C₇H₅NO₃S, used as an artificial sweetener in food products.
How do you pronounce "saccharin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "saccharin" is /ˈsækəɹɪn/. 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 "saccharin"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱorkeh₂ Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćárkaraH Proto-Indo-Aryan *śárkaraH Sanskrit शर्क॑रा (śárkarā) Pali sakkharābor. Ancient Greek σᾰ́κχᾰρ (sắkkhăr) Ancient Greek σάκχᾰρον (sákkhăron)der. Latin saccharon Latin saccharum... 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 "saccharin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Scamander#90,941signboard#90,992pomposity#90,852Placentia#90,846

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list