sculpture

/ˈskʌlpt͡ʃɚ/

//ˈskʌlpt͡ʃɚ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sculpture” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,087. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,087
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A three-dimensional work of art created by shaping malleable objects and letting them harden or by chipping away pieces from a rock (sculpting).

Corpus desk

Index EN-sculpture · sculpture · English

sculpture · rank #8,087 · 14 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,087
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH runway

Nearest frequency peer: runway (-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 “sculpture”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sculpture” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

sculpture vs sculptor
78% similar
sculpture vs Scripture
67% similar
sculpture vs sculptural
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for sculpture
PropertyValue
Headwordsculpture
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈskʌlpt͡ʃɚ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#8,087
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sculpture”

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).sculpturelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “runway” (#8,086), “senses” (#8,088), “Romans” (#8,085). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sculpture” is #8,087. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around sculpture (IPA /ˈskʌlpt͡ʃɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,087 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for sculpture, with forms such as "csulpture", "scculpture", and "sclupture". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "sculptor", "Scripture", "sculptural", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sculpture, from Old French sculpture, from Latin sculptūra (“sculpture”), from sculpō (“to cut out, to carve in stone”). The correct English form is sculpture, spelled S-C-U-L-P-T-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A three-dimensional work of art created by shaping malleable objects and letting them harden or by chipping away pieces from a rock (sculpting).
  2. 2
    More generally (since modernism), a three-dimensional work of art of any material or of mixed materials, whether sculpted, assembled, found, constructed or created using multiple techniques.
  3. 3
    Works of art created by sculpting, as a group.
  4. 4
    The three-dimensional ornamentation on the outer surface of a shell.
  5. 5
    A printed picture, such as an engraving.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There, too, in living sculpture, might be seen / The mad affection of the Cretan queen.
  2. Whereas upon the humble Requeſt of Our Truſty and Wel-beloved Servant, JOHN OGILBY, Eſquire, We were Graciouſly pleaſed by Our Warrant of the 25. of May, in the ſeventeenth Year of Our Reign, to grant him the ſole Privilege and Immunity of Printing in fair Volumes, Adorned with Sculptures, Virgil Tranſlated, Homer's Iliads, Æſop Paraphraſed, and Our Enter…

Etymology

From Middle English sculpture, from Old French sculpture, from Latin sculptūra (“sculpture”), from sculpō (“to cut out, to carve in stone”).

This word in other languages

escultura(Español)sculpture(Français)Bildhauerkunst(Deutsch)escultura(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • csulpture
  • scculpture
  • sclupture
  • scullpture
  • sculppture
  • sculptrue
  • sculptture
  • sculptuer
  • sculpturre
  • sculputre
  • scultpure
  • scuplture
  • ssculpture
  • suclpture

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sculpture - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

csulpture2scculpture1sclupture2scullpture1sculppture1sculptrue2sculptture1sculptuer2
Edit distance from "sculpture"

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 "sculpture"?
"sculpture" is spelled S-C-U-L-P-T-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskʌlpt͡ʃɚ/.
What does "sculpture" mean?
As a noun, "sculpture" means: A three-dimensional work of art created by shaping malleable objects and letting them harden or by chipping away pieces from a rock (sculpting).
What words are commonly confused with "sculpture"?
"sculpture" is commonly confused with "sculptor", "Scripture", "sculptural". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sculpture"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sculpture" is /ˈskʌlpt͡ʃɚ/. 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 "sculpture"?
From Middle English sculpture, from Old French sculpture, from Latin sculptūra (“sculpture”), from sculpō (“to cut out, to carve in stone”). 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 "sculpture", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

reviewing#8,084recognise#8,080Wikipedia#8,106alcoholic#8,114

Similar misspelling depth

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

inequality14 variantsChristine14 variantsconsisted14 variantsforgetting14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list