schist

/ʃɪst/

//ʃɪst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“schist” is uncommon English (frequency #66,268 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,268
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of a variety of coarse-grained crystalline metamorphic rocks with a foliated structure that allows easy division into slabs or slates.

Corpus desk

Index EN-schist · schist · English

schist · rank #66,268 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #66,268
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH schtick

Nearest frequency peer: schtick (+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 “schist”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for schist
PropertyValue
Headwordschist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ʃɪst/
Letters6
Frequency rank#66,268
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “schist” in English

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).schistfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “schtick” (#66,269), “Sayyid” (#66,265), “scoresheet” (#66,271). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “schist” is #66,268. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

schist is uncommon English at frequency #66,268 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ʃɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any of a variety of coarse-grained crystalline metamorphic rocks with a foliated structure that allows easy division into slabs or slates.".

schist doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French schiste, from Latin schistos lapis (“the stone that is easy to split”), from Ancient Greek σχιστός (skhistós, “splittable”), from σχίζω (skhízō, “to split”). The correct English form is schist, spelled S-C-H-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of a variety of coarse-grained crystalline metamorphic rocks with a foliated structure that allows easy division into slabs or slates.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Although it shows under the microscope traces of the original gabbro structure and of the original gabbro minerals, no one would hesitate from a microscopical examination to class it with the schists.
  2. 1915, Charles Will Wright, Geology and Ore Deposits of Copper Mountain and Kasaan Peninsula, Alaska, US Geological Survey, Professional Paper 87, page 29, Narrow bands of schist are interstratified with these limestones, and in turn narrow beds of limestone are interstratified with the schists.

Etymology

From French schiste, from Latin schistos lapis (“the stone that is easy to split”), from Ancient Greek σχιστός (skhistós, “splittable”), from σχίζω (skhízō, “to split”).

This word in other languages

esquisto(Español)schiste(Français)Glimmerschiefer(Deutsch)xisto(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 "schist"?
"schist" is spelled S-C-H-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃɪst/.
What does "schist" mean?
As a noun, "schist" means: Any of a variety of coarse-grained crystalline metamorphic rocks with a foliated structure that allows easy division into slabs or slates.
How do you pronounce "schist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schist" is /ʃɪst/. 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 "schist"?
From French schiste, from Latin schistos lapis (“the stone that is easy to split”), from Ancient Greek σχιστός (skhistós, “splittable”), from σχίζω (skhízō, “to split”). 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 "schist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Sayyid#66,265Scouse#66,272screwy#66,274sentai#66,280

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list