scissor

/ˈsɪzə/

//ˈsɪzə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“scissor” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,582. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,582
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Attributive form of scissors.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scissor · scissor · English

scissor · rank #32,582 · 9 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #32,582
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH scat

Nearest frequency peer: scat (-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 “scissor”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “scissor” 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).

scissor vs scissors
88% similar

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

Key facts for scissor
PropertyValue
Headwordscissor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪzə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#32,582
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “scissor”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).scissorlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “scat” (#32,581), “seaport” (#32,583), “Santi” (#32,580). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scissor” is #32,582. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around scissor (IPA /ˈsɪzə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,582 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for scissor, with forms such as "csissor", "sccissor", and "scisor". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "scissors", 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 cysour, cysoure, cysowre, altered from sisours (“scissors”), from Old French cisoires, cisours, cisur, from Latin caedere (“to cut”); current spelling influenced by Latin scindere, scissus (“to split”). The correct English form is scissor, spelled S-C-I-S-S-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Attributive form of scissors.
  2. 2
    One blade on a pair of scissors.
  3. 3
    Scissors.
  4. 4
    Used in certain noun phrases to denote a thing resembling the action of scissors, as scissor kick, scissor hold (wrestling), scissor jack.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I had clipped out the photo, feeling pathetic about the act from the moment I slipped my thumb into the scissor hole.
  2. The records of the Cutlers’ Company of London (1624) refer to scissor-making in the city, although the quality of English-made scissors did not match that of continental scissors for another 100 years. A few English firms of scissor-makers, notably those of Beach, Macklin and Neesham, established a small but notable industry at Salisbury, Wilts, from the…

Etymology

From Middle English cysour, cysoure, cysowre, altered from sisours (“scissors”), from Old French cisoires, cisours, cisur, from Latin caedere (“to cut”); current spelling influenced by Latin scindere, scissus (“to split”).

This word in other languages

tijera(Español)ciseau(Français)Schere(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • csissor
  • sccissor
  • scisor
  • scisosr
  • scissorr
  • scissro
  • scsisor
  • sicssor
  • sscissor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of scissor - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

csissor2sccissor1scisor1scisosr2scissorr1scissro2scsisor2sicssor2
Edit distance from "scissor"

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 "scissor"?
"scissor" is spelled S-C-I-S-S-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪzə/.
What does "scissor" mean?
As a noun, "scissor" means: Attributive form of scissors.
What words are commonly confused with "scissor"?
"scissor" is commonly confused with "scissors". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "scissor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scissor" is /ˈsɪzə/. 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 "scissor"?
From Middle English cysour, cysoure, cysowre, altered from sisours (“scissors”), from Old French cisoires, cisours, cisur, from Latin caedere (“to cut”); current spelling influenced by Latin scindere, scissus (“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 "scissor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

seaport#32,583sellout#32,584Salomon#32,577setlist#32,587

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

sandal9 variantsruffled9 variantsrotors9 variantsringed9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list