sclerosis
scle·ro·sis/skləˈɹoʊ.sɪs/noun
sclerosis is spelled S-C-L-E-R-O-S-I-S: 9 letters and 3 syllables (scle·ro·sis). It appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sclerosis means “The abnormal hardening of body tissues, such as an artery; the appearance of hardenings, indurations, lesions, nodules” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sclerosis is scleroses.
How many letters and syllables are in sclerosis?
| Letters | 9: S-C-L-E-R-O-S-I-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: scle·ro·sis |
| In writing | 2.0 times per million words; the 19,589th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is sclerosis?
Sclerosis appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce sclerosis?
- UK /skləˈɹəʊ.sɪs/
- US /skləˈɹoʊ.sɪs/
- Australia /skləˈɹəʉ.sɪs/
Sclerosis has 3 syllables, split scle·ro·sis in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-sclerosis.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with sclerosis?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as sclerosis from its last stressed vowel (/oʊsɪs/):
- prognosis
- psychosis
- fibrosis
- apoptosis
- necrosis
- thrombosis
- stenosis
- osmosis
- symbiosis
- scoliosis
- mitosis
- neurosis
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of sclerosis
- scleroses plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sclerosis mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The abnormal hardening of body tissues, such as an artery; the appearance of hardenings, indurations, lesions, nodules.
- 2
Inability to create change or excessive resistance to change.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sclerosis in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense abnormal hardening of body tissues:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sclérose |
| German | Sklerose |
| Portuguese | esclerose |
| Spanish | esclerosis |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does sclerosis come from?
From Ancient Greek σκλήρωσις (sklḗrōsis, “hardening”), from σκληρόω (sklēróō, “to harden”), from σκληρός (sklērós, “hard”); by surface analysis, sclero- + -osis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).