scopophilia

noun

"scopophilia" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“scopophilia” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sexual dependency on openly observing sex organs and sexual acts, as opposed to voyeurism which is secret.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scopophilia · scopophilia · English

scopophilia · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for scopophilia
PropertyValue
Headwordscopophilia
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “scopophilia” in English

scopophiliaranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

scopophilia is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A sexual dependency on openly observing sex organs and sexual acts, as opposed to voyeurism which is secret.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for scopophilia, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek σκοπός (skopós, “watcher”) + -philia (itself from the Ancient Greek φιλία (philía, “love, fondness”)). The correct English form is scopophilia, spelled S-C-O-P-O-P-H-I-L-I-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sexual dependency on openly observing sex organs and sexual acts, as opposed to voyeurism which is secret.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. At first feeling somewhat inhibited in his watching by Sam's presence (perhaps due to an inferiority complex), Jake freely indulges in his scopophilia once the other man is gone, growing excited by the sight of this woman whose dance includes undressing, donning some jewels, and then stroking herself.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek σκοπός (skopós, “watcher”) + -philia (itself from the Ancient Greek φιλία (philía, “love, fondness”)).

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "scopophilia"?
"scopophilia" is spelled S-C-O-P-O-P-H-I-L-I-A.
What does "scopophilia" mean?
As a noun, "scopophilia" means: A sexual dependency on openly observing sex organs and sexual acts, as opposed to voyeurism which is secret.
What is the origin of the word "scopophilia"?
From Ancient Greek σκοπός (skopós, “watcher”) + -philia (itself from the Ancient Greek φιλία (philía, “love, fondness”)). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list