science

/ˈsaɪ.əns/

//ˈsaɪ.əns// noun

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

"science" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“science” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #795 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#795
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A particular discipline or branch of knowledge that is natural, measurable or consisting of systematic principles rather than intuition or technical skill.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

science vs since
71% similar
science vs Spence
57% similar
science vs silence
71% similar

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

Key facts for science
PropertyValue
Headwordscience
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsaɪ.əns/
Letters7
Frequency rank#795
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “science” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). science lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for science is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsaɪ.əns/. Corpus data places it at rank #795 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for science, with forms such as "csience", "sccience", and "sceince". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "since", "Spence", "silence", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English science, scyence, borrowed from Old French science, escience, from Latin scientia (“knowledge”), from sciens, the present participle stem of scire (“to know”). The correct English form is science, spelled S-C-I-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A particular discipline or branch of knowledge that is natural, measurable or consisting of systematic principles rather than intuition or technical skill.
  2. 2
    Specifically the natural sciences.
  3. 3
    Knowledge gained through study or practice; mastery of a particular discipline or area.
  4. 4
    The fact of knowing something; knowledge or understanding of a truth.
  5. 5
    The collective discipline of study or learning acquired through the scientific method; the sum of knowledge gained from such methods and discipline.
  6. 6
    Knowledge derived from scientific disciplines, scientific method, or any systematic effort.
  7. 7
    The scientific community.
  8. 8
    Synonym of sweet science (“the sport of boxing”).

Etymology

From Middle English science, scyence, borrowed from Old French science, escience, from Latin scientia (“knowledge”), from sciens, the present participle stem of scire (“to know”).

Synonyms

scisci.science

This word in other languages

ciencia(Español)science(Français)Wissenschaft(Deutsch)ciência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: csience,sccience,sceince,sciance,sciecne,sciencce,scienec,sciennce,scinece,sicence,sscience

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of science - 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.

csience2sccience1sceince2sciance1sciecne2sciencce1scienec2sciennce1
Edit distance from "science"

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 "science"?
"science" is spelled S-C-I-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsaɪ.əns/.
What does "science" mean?
As a noun, "science" means: A particular discipline or branch of knowledge that is natural, measurable or consisting of systematic principles rather than intuition or technical skill.
What words are commonly confused with "science"?
"science" is commonly confused with "since", "Spence", "silence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "science"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "science" is /ˈsaɪ.əns/. 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 "science"?
From Middle English science, scyence, borrowed from Old French science, escience, from Latin scientia (“knowledge”), from sciens, the present participle stem of scire (“to know”). 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.

Using “science”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-C-I-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsaɪ.əns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “since” - see the side-by-side comparison. science vs since
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list