schism

/ˈskɪzəm/

//ˈskɪzəm// noun

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

"schism" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“schism” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,711. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,711
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A split or separation within a group or organization, typically caused by discord.

Corpus desk

Index EN-schism · schism · English

schism · rank #28,711 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,711
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH scrubbed

Nearest frequency peer: scrubbed (+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 “schism”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “schism” 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).

schism vs shim
67% similar
schism vs sexism
67% similar
schism vs Schiff
50% similar

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

Key facts for schism
PropertyValue
Headwordschism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈskɪzəm/
Letters6
Frequency rank#28,711
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “schism”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).schismlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “scrubbed” (#28,712), “scala” (#28,709), “seer” (#28,713). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “schism” is #28,711. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around schism (IPA /ˈskɪzəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,711 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for schism, with forms such as "cshism", "scchism", and "schhism". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "shim", "sexism", "Schiff", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English scisme, from Old French cisme or scisme, from Ancient Greek σχίσμα (skhísma, “division”), from σχίζω (skhízō, “I split”). Doublet of schisma. Compare chasm. This word was historically pronounced /ˈsɪzəm/ (and still is among the clergy); … The correct English form is schism, spelled S-C-H-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A split or separation within a group or organization, typically caused by discord.
  2. 2
    A formal division or split within a religious body.
  3. 3
    a split within Christianity whereby a group no longer recognizes the Bishop of Rome as the head of the Church, but shares essentially the same beliefs with the Church of Rome. In other words, a political split without the introduction of heresy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Despite personal schisms and differences in spiritual experience, there is a very coherent theology of Snape shared between the wives. To examine this manifestation of religious fandom, I will first discuss the canon scepticism and anti-Rowling sentiment that helps to contextualise the wider belief in Snape as a character who extends beyond book and film.
  2. But Harry, in his civilian suit, was also a reminder of the schism between the traditional and the modern in the royal family that can’t be drowned out by pageantry.

Etymology

From Middle English scisme, from Old French cisme or scisme, from Ancient Greek σχίσμα (skhísma, “division”), from σχίζω (skhízō, “I split”). Doublet of schisma. Compare chasm. This word was historically pronounced /ˈsɪzəm/ (and still is among the clergy); the pronunciations /ˈʃɪzəm/, /ˈskɪzəm/ are due to the spelling (the latter may have been reinforced by learned influence); compare schedule.

Synonyms

divisionseparationsplit

Antonyms

unity

This word in other languages

cisma(Español)schisme(Français)Zerwürfnis(Deutsch)cisão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cshism
  • scchism
  • schhism
  • schims
  • schismm
  • schissm
  • schsim
  • scihsm
  • shcism
  • sschism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of schism - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cshism2scchism1schhism1schims2schismm1schissm1schsim2scihsm2
Edit distance from "schism"

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 "schism"?
"schism" is spelled S-C-H-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskɪzəm/.
What does "schism" mean?
As a noun, "schism" means: A split or separation within a group or organization, typically caused by discord.
What words are commonly confused with "schism"?
"schism" is commonly confused with "shim", "sexism", "Schiff". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "schism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schism" is /ˈskɪzəm/. 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 "schism"?
From Middle English scisme, from Old French cisme or scisme, from Ancient Greek σχίσμα (skhísma, “division”), from σχίζω (skhízō, “I split”). Doublet of schisma. Compare chasm. This word was historically pronounced /ˈsɪzəm/ (and still is among the... 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 "schism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sepsis#28,714Seward#28,715snappy#28,729remade#28,692

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

sneaker10 variantssparing10 variantsSpiegel10 variantspuritan10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list