sciatica

/saɪˈætɪkə/

//saɪˈætɪkə// noun

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

"sciatica" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sciatica” is uncommon English (frequency #55,084 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,084
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Neuralgia of the sciatic nerve, characterised by pain radiating down through the buttocks and the back of the thigh.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sciatica · sciatica · English

sciatica · rank #55,084 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,084
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sayre

Nearest frequency peer: Sayre (-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 “sciatica”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sciatica
PropertyValue
Headwordsciatica
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/saɪˈætɪkə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#55,084
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sciatica” 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).sciaticafalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Sayre” (#55,083), “scimitar” (#55,085), “satyr” (#55,082). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sciatica” is #55,084. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sciatica is uncommon English at frequency #55,084 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /saɪˈætɪkə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Neuralgia of the sciatic nerve, characterised by pain radiating down through the buttocks and the back of the thigh.".

sciatica has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Late Middle English, from Late Latin sciatica, feminine of sciaticus, from Ancient Greek ἰσχιαδικός (iskhiadikós), the adjective of ἰσχίον (iskhíon, “hip”). The correct English form is sciatica, spelled S-C-I-A-T-I-C-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Neuralgia of the sciatic nerve, characterised by pain radiating down through the buttocks and the back of the thigh.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He picked up his own phone, shunned limos and preferred to walk if possible (sciatica later caused him to use a wheelchair) – as, for example, on the day after his election when he slipped away on foot to collect his suitcase and settle the bill at the modest pensione where he had been booked in before the conclave began.

Etymology

Late Middle English, from Late Latin sciatica, feminine of sciaticus, from Ancient Greek ἰσχιαδικός (iskhiadikós), the adjective of ἰσχίον (iskhíon, “hip”).

This word in other languages

ciática(Español)sciatique(Français)Ischias(Deutsch)

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 "sciatica"?
"sciatica" is spelled S-C-I-A-T-I-C-A. The IPA pronunciation is /saɪˈætɪkə/.
What does "sciatica" mean?
As a noun, "sciatica" means: Neuralgia of the sciatic nerve, characterised by pain radiating down through the buttocks and the back of the thigh.
How do you pronounce "sciatica"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sciatica" is /saɪˈætɪkə/. 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 "sciatica"?
Late Middle English, from Late Latin sciatica, feminine of sciaticus, from Ancient Greek ἰσχιαδικός (iskhiadikós), the adjective of ἰσχίον (iskhíon, “hip”). 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 "sciatica", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

scimitar#55,085scrubber#55,086Rousseff#55,071Rothwell#55,070

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list