scorpion
/ˈskɔː.pi.ən/
"scorpion" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“scorpion” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,953 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #17,953
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various arachnids of the order Scorpiones, related to the spiders, characterised by two large front pincers and a curved tail with a venomous sting in the end.
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 | scorpion |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈskɔː.pi.ən/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #17,953 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “scorpion” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for scorpion is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈskɔː.pi.ən/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,953 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for scorpion, with forms such as "csorpion", "sccorpion", and "scoprion". 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. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Scorpio", 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 scorpioun, skorpioun, schorpion, schorpiun, partly from Old English sċorpio and partly from Anglo-Norman scorpïun, Old French scorpïon, escorpïon; all from Latin scorpiō, ultimately from Ancient Greek σκορπίος (skorpíos). The cheerleadin… The correct English form is scorpion, spelled S-C-O-R-P-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1Any of various arachnids of the order Scorpiones, related to the spiders, characterised by two large front pincers and a curved tail with a venomous sting in the end.
- 2An ancient military engine for hurling stones and other missiles.
- 3A very spiteful or vindictive person.
- 4A cheerleading move in which one foot is pulled back and held up with both hands while the performer stands on the other foot.
- 5A whip with points like a scorpion's tail.
Etymology
From Middle English scorpioun, skorpioun, schorpion, schorpiun, partly from Old English sċorpio and partly from Anglo-Norman scorpïun, Old French scorpïon, escorpïon; all from Latin scorpiō, ultimately from Ancient Greek σκορπίος (skorpíos). The cheerleading move is so called because of the resemblance of the raised foot to a scorpion's stinger.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: csorpion,sccorpion,scoprion,scoripon,scorpino,scorpionn,scorpoin,scorppion,scorrpion,scropion,socrpion,sscorpion
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of scorpion - 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 "scorpion"?
What does "scorpion" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "scorpion"?
How do you pronounce "scorpion"?
What is the origin of the word "scorpion"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “scorpion”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-C-O-R-P-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈskɔː.pi.ən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Scorpio” - see the side-by-side comparison. scorpion vs Scorpio
- 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.