scepticism

noun

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

"scepticism" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“scepticism” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,334. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,334
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Alternative spelling of skepticism.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scepticism · scepticism · English

scepticism · rank #31,334 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #31,334
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sarcastically

Nearest frequency peer: sarcastically (-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 “scepticism”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “scepticism” 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).

scepticism vs skepticism
90% similar

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

Key facts for scepticism
PropertyValue
Headwordscepticism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#31,334
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “scepticism”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).scepticismlands 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 “sarcastically” (#31,333), “scorecard” (#31,335), “sander” (#31,332). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scepticism” is #31,334. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around scepticism, anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,334 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Alternative spelling of skepticism.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for scepticism, with forms such as "csepticism", "sccepticism", and "scepitcism". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "skepticism", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Equivalent to sceptic + -ism. The correct English form is scepticism, spelled S-C-E-P-T-I-C-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Alternative spelling of skepticism.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When, across the hundredfold poor scepticisms, trivialisms and constitutional cobwebberies of Dryasdust, you catch any glimpse of a William the Conqueror, a Tancred of Hauteville or suchlike, — do you not discern veritably some rude outline of a true God-made King […]?
  2. As per the old Jewish joke “ask two Jews, get three opinions”, there’s room on this seven-strong bill (plus [Hannah] Gadsby) for at least that many different perspectives on gender – including some impish scepticism from Canadian comic DeAnne Smith, who complains about “getting they/them’d against my will since 2005”.

Etymology

Equivalent to sceptic + -ism.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • csepticism
  • sccepticism
  • scepitcism
  • sceppticism
  • sceptciism
  • scepticcism
  • scepticims
  • scepticismm
  • scepticissm
  • scepticsim
  • sceptiicsm
  • sceptticism
  • scetpicism
  • scpeticism
  • secpticism
  • sscepticism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of scepticism - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

csepticism2sccepticism1scepitcism2sceppticism1sceptciism2scepticcism1scepticims2scepticismm1
Edit distance from "scepticism"

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 "scepticism"?
"scepticism" is spelled S-C-E-P-T-I-C-I-S-M.
What does "scepticism" mean?
As a noun, "scepticism" means: Alternative spelling of skepticism.
What words are commonly confused with "scepticism"?
"scepticism" is commonly confused with "skepticism". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "scepticism"?
Equivalent to sceptic + -ism. 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 "scepticism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

repurchase#31,317stabilizer#31,360suppressor#31,366synthesize#31,368

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

upholstery16 variantsamphetamine16 variantshouseholder16 variantsGalatasaray16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list