sclerosis

/skləˈɹəʊsɪs/

//skləˈɹəʊsɪs// noun

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

"sclerosis" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sclerosis” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,692. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,692
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The abnormal hardening of body tissues, such as an artery; the appearance of hardenings, indurations, lesions, nodules.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sclerosis · sclerosis · English

sclerosis · rank #19,692 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,692
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH scented

Nearest frequency peer: scented (-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 “sclerosis”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sclerosis” 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
Key facts for sclerosis
PropertyValue
Headwordsclerosis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/skləˈɹəʊsɪs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#19,692
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sclerosis”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “scented” (#19,691), “selfless” (#19,693), “serenity” (#19,694). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sclerosis” is #19,692. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around sclerosis (IPA /skləˈɹəʊsɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,692 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for sclerosis, with forms such as "cslerosis", "scclerosis", and "scelrosis". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek σκλήρωσις (sklḗrōsis, “hardening”), from σκληρόω (sklēróō, “to harden”), from σκληρός (sklērós, “hard”); by surface analysis, sclero- + -osis. The correct English form is sclerosis, spelled S-C-L-E-R-O-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The abnormal hardening of body tissues, such as an artery; the appearance of hardenings, indurations, lesions, nodules.
  2. 2
    Inability to create change or excessive resistance to change.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The “Euphoria” and “Grey’s Anatomy” actor announced on Thursday that he has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
  2. Suppressing dissent dooms the society to sclerosis, decline and collapse.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek σκλήρωσις (sklḗrōsis, “hardening”), from σκληρόω (sklēróō, “to harden”), from σκληρός (sklērós, “hard”); by surface analysis, sclero- + -osis.

This word in other languages

esclerosis(Español)sclérose(Français)esclerose(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cslerosis
  • scclerosis
  • scelrosis
  • scleorsis
  • scleroiss
  • sclerosiss
  • sclerossi
  • sclerossis
  • sclerrosis
  • sclersois
  • scllerosis
  • sclreosis
  • slcerosis
  • ssclerosis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cslerosis2scclerosis1scelrosis2scleorsis2scleroiss2sclerosiss1sclerossi2sclerossis1
Edit distance from "sclerosis"

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 "sclerosis"?
"sclerosis" is spelled S-C-L-E-R-O-S-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /skləˈɹəʊsɪs/.
What does "sclerosis" mean?
As a noun, "sclerosis" means: The abnormal hardening of body tissues, such as an artery; the appearance of hardenings, indurations, lesions, nodules.
What are common misspellings of "sclerosis"?
Common misspellings include "cslerosis", "scclerosis", "scelrosis", "scleorsis", "scleroiss". The correct spelling is "sclerosis".
How do you pronounce "sclerosis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sclerosis" is /skləˈɹəʊsɪs/. 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 "sclerosis"?
From Ancient Greek σκλήρωσις (sklḗrōsis, “hardening”), from σκληρόω (sklēróō, “to harden”), from σκληρός (sklērós, “hard”); by surface analysis, sclero- + -osis. 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 "sclerosis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Rosenberg#19,686regiments#19,680polarized#19,666periphery#19,661

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

adversary14 variantsbloodshed14 variantsHemingway14 variantsfifteenth14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list