semtex
/ˈsɛm.tɛks/
"semtex" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“semtex” is uncommon English (frequency #96,464 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #96,464
- frequency rank, English
- 54,294
- “S” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A highly malleable general-purpose plastic explosive.
Corpus desk
Index EN-semtex · semtex · English
semtex · rank #96,464 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #96,464
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 54,294
- PHOTO-FINISH sellable
Nearest frequency peer: sellable (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “semtex”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- seba
seba
3,540 corpus weight
- sele
sele
3,539 corpus weight
- sellable
sellable
3,538 corpus weight
- semtex
semtex
3,537 corpus weight
- Sequoyah
Sequoyah
3,535 corpus weight
- SFL
SFL
3,532 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “semtex” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | semtex |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɛm.tɛks/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #96,464 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “semtex” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
semtex is uncommon English at frequency #96,464 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɛm.tɛks/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A highly malleable general-purpose plastic explosive.".
No misspelling variants are generated for semtex in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Genericized trademark Semtex, derived from the Czech name of the suburb of Pardubice where it was manufactured, Semtín, and ex(plosive). The correct English form is semtex, spelled S-E-M-T-E-X.
Definition
- 1A highly malleable general-purpose plastic explosive.
Etymology
Genericized trademark Semtex, derived from the Czech name of the suburb of Pardubice where it was manufactured, Semtín, and ex(plosive).
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "semtex", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
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.