scissors

/ˈsɪzɚz/

//ˈsɪzɚz// noun

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

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

The verdict

“scissors” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,418. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,418
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tool used for cutting thin material, consisting of two crossing blades attached at a pivot point in such a way that the blades slide across each other when the handles are closed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scissors · scissors · English

scissors · rank #13,418 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #13,418
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Saxon

Nearest frequency peer: Saxon (-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 “scissors”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “scissors” 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).

scissors vs scissor
88% similar

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

Key facts for scissors
PropertyValue
Headwordscissors
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪzɚz/
Letters8
Frequency rank#13,418
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “scissors”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “Saxon” (#13,417), “seaside” (#13,419), “sans” (#13,416). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scissors” is #13,418. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around scissors (IPA /ˈsɪzɚz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,418 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for scissors, with forms such as "csissors", "sccissors", and "scisors". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "scissor", 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 sisours (attested since 1350–1400), from Old French cisoirs, from Late Latin cīsōria, plural of cīsōrium (“cutting tool”); from Latin word root -cīsus (compare excise) or caesus, past participle of caedō (“to cut”). Partially displaced n… The correct English form is scissors, spelled S-C-I-S-S-O-R-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A tool used for cutting thin material, consisting of two crossing blades attached at a pivot point in such a way that the blades slide across each other when the handles are closed.
  2. 2
    A type of defensive maneuver in dogfighting, involving repeatedly turning one's aircraft towards that of the attacker in order to force them to overshoot.
  3. 3
    An instance of the above dogfighting maneuver.
  4. 4
    An attacking move conducted by two players; the player without the ball runs from one side of the ball carrier, behind the ball carrier, and receives a pass from the ball carrier on the other side.
  5. 5
    A method of skating with one foot significantly in front of the other.
  6. 6
    An exercise in which the legs are switched back and forth, suggesting the motion of scissors.
  7. 7
    A scissors hold.
  8. 8
    A hand with the index and middle fingers open (a handshape resembling scissors), that beats paper and loses to rock. It beats lizard and loses to Spock in rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonym: shears
  2. Those scissors are sharp.

Etymology

From Middle English sisours (attested since 1350–1400), from Old French cisoirs, from Late Latin cīsōria, plural of cīsōrium (“cutting tool”); from Latin word root -cīsus (compare excise) or caesus, past participle of caedō (“to cut”). Partially displaced native Old English sċēara (“scissors, shears”), whence shears. Doublet of chisel. The current spelling, from the 16th century, is due to association with Medieval Latin scissor (“tailor”), from Latin carrying the meaning “carver, cutter”, from scindō (“to split”).

Synonyms

scissorpair of scissorsshearsswitch

This word in other languages

tijeras(Español)ciseaux(Français)Schere(Deutsch)tesoura(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • csissors
  • sccissors
  • scisors
  • scisosrs
  • scissorrs
  • scissorss
  • scissosr
  • scissros
  • scsisors
  • sicssors
  • sscissors

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

csissors2sccissors1scisors1scisosrs2scissorrs1scissorss1scissosr2scissros2
Edit distance from "scissors"

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 "scissors"?
"scissors" is spelled S-C-I-S-S-O-R-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪzɚz/.
What does "scissors" mean?
As a noun, "scissors" means: A tool used for cutting thin material, consisting of two crossing blades attached at a pivot point in such a way that the blades slide across each other when the handles are closed.
What words are commonly confused with "scissors"?
"scissors" is commonly confused with "scissor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "scissors"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scissors" is /ˈsɪzɚz/. 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 "scissors"?
From Middle English sisours (attested since 1350–1400), from Old French cisoirs, from Late Latin cīsōria, plural of cīsōrium (“cutting tool”); from Latin word root -cīsus (compare excise) or caesus, past participle of caedō (“to cut”). Partially d... 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 "scissors", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Romanian#13,412silently#13,424smelling#13,426stabbing#13,428

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

stamped11 variantspotassium11 variantspoisoned11 variantspineapple11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list