sclerotic

/skləˈɹɑtɪk/

//skləˈɹɑtɪk// adj

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

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

The verdict

“sclerotic” is uncommon English (frequency #78,114 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,114
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or relating to the sclera of the eye.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sclerotic · sclerotic · English

sclerotic · rank #78,114 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,114
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Schwimmer

Nearest frequency peer: Schwimmer (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “sclerotic”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “sclerotic” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sclerotic
PropertyValue
Headwordsclerotic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/skləˈɹɑtɪk/
Letters9
Frequency rank#78,114
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sclerotic” in English

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).scleroticfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Schwimmer” (#78,113), “Secaucus” (#78,115), “Shafi” (#78,117). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sclerotic” is #78,114. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sclerotic is uncommon English at frequency #78,114 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /skləˈɹɑtɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for sclerotic, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From scler(a) + -otic. The correct English form is sclerotic, spelled S-C-L-E-R-O-T-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or relating to the sclera of the eye.
  2. 2
    Having or relating to sclerosis; hardened.
  3. 3
    Hard and insular; resistant to change.
  4. 4
    Of or relating to sclerotium.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The outer wood exposed to the air may become carbonaceous due to the interaction of sclerotic mycelium and the wood.
  2. sclerotic bureaucracy

Etymology

From scler(a) + -otic.

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 "sclerotic"?
"sclerotic" is spelled S-C-L-E-R-O-T-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /skləˈɹɑtɪk/.
What does "sclerotic" mean?
As an adjective, "sclerotic" means: Of or relating to the sclera of the eye.
How do you pronounce "sclerotic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sclerotic" is /skləˈɹɑtɪk/. 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 "sclerotic"?
From scler(a) + -otic. 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 "sclerotic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Schwimmer#78,113smartness#78,136stippling#78,160suspender#78,171

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list