science fiction

Name: science fiction, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈsaɪəns ˌfɪkʃən/

//ˈsaɪəns ˌfɪkʃən// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“science fiction” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English: 15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Fiction in which advanced technology or science is a key element.

Key facts for science fiction
Property	Value
Headword	science fiction
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈsaɪəns ˌfɪkʃən/
Letters	15
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “science fiction” sits in English frequency

science fiction falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

science fiction is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsaɪəns ˌfɪkʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for science fiction in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From science + fiction. First use appears c. 1851. See cite below. The correct English form is science fiction, spelled S-C-I-E-N-C-E- -F-I-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

1
Fiction in which advanced technology or science is a key element.
2
Technology that, while theoretically possible, is not yet practical.

Etymology

From science + fiction. First use appears c. 1851. See cite below.

Synonyms

science fiction scientific romance scientifiction sci-fi skiffy SF stf

Antonyms

science fact

This word in other languages

ciencia ficción(Español)science-fiction(Français)Science-Fiction(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "science fiction"?

"science fiction" is spelled S-C-I-E-N-C-E- -F-I-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsaɪəns ˌfɪkʃən/.

What does "science fiction" mean?

As a noun, "science fiction" means: Fiction in which advanced technology or science is a key element.

How do you pronounce "science fiction"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "science fiction" is /ˈsaɪəns ˌfɪkʃən/. 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 fiction"?

From science + fiction. First use appears c. 1851. See cite below. 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 fiction”

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- -F-I-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈsaɪəns ˌfɪkʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
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.