schema
/ˈskiːmə/
"schema" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“schema” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,581 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #24,581
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An outline or image universally applicable to a general conception, under which it is likely to be presented to the mind (for example, a body schema).
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | schema |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈskiːmə/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #24,581 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “schema” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for schema is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈskiːmə/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,581 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for schema, with forms such as "cshema", "scchema", and "scehma". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Shea", "Shem", "Sheba", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from Latin schēma, from Ancient Greek σχῆμα (skhêma, “form, shape”). Doublet of scheme. The correct English form is schema, spelled S-C-H-E-M-A.
Definition
- 1An outline or image universally applicable to a general conception, under which it is likely to be presented to the mind (for example, a body schema).
- 2A formal description of the structure of a database: the names of the tables, the names of the columns of each table, and the data type and other attributes of each column.
- 3A formal description of data, data types, and data file structures, such as XML schemas for XML files.
- 4A formula in the metalanguage of an axiomatic system, in which one or more schematic variables appear, which stand for any term or subformula of the system, which may or may not be required to satisfy certain conditions.
- 5A monastic habit in the Greek Orthodox Church.
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from Latin schēma, from Ancient Greek σχῆμα (skhêma, “form, shape”). Doublet of scheme.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: cshema,scchema,scehma,scheam,schemma,schhema,schmea,shcema,sschema
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of schema - 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.
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
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Using “schema”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-C-H-E-M-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈskiːmə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Shea” - see the side-by-side comparison. schema vs Shea
- 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.