scissors
/ˈsɪzɚz/
"scissors" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“scissors” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,418 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #13,418
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 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.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | scissors |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɪzɚz/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #13,418 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “scissors” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for scissors is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɪzɚz/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,418 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. 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 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
- 1A 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.
- 2A type of defensive maneuver in dogfighting, involving repeatedly turning one's aircraft towards that of the attacker in order to force them to overshoot.
- 3An instance of the above dogfighting maneuver.
- 4An 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.
- 5A method of skating with one foot significantly in front of the other.
- 6An exercise in which the legs are switched back and forth, suggesting the motion of scissors.
- 7A scissors hold.
- 8A 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.
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”).
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
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Using “scissors”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-C-I-S-S-O-R-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɪzɚz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “scissor” - see the side-by-side comparison. scissors vs scissor
- 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.