sick

/ˈsɪk/

//ˈsɪk// adj

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

"sick" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sick” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,410 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,410
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In poor health; ill.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sick vs SK
0% similar
sick vs six
50% similar
sick vs sir
50% similar

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

Key facts for sick
PropertyValue
Headwordsick
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsɪk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,410
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sick” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). sick lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for sick is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,410 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for sick, with forms such as "isck", "scik", and "sicck". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "SK", "six", "sir", and more, 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 sik, sike, seek, seke, seok, from Old English sēoc (“sick, ill”), from Proto-West Germanic *seuk, from Proto-Germanic *seukaz, from Proto-Indo-European *sewg- (“to be troubled or grieved”). See also West Frisian siik, Dutch ziek, German … The correct English form is sick, spelled S-I-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    In poor health; ill.
  2. 2
    In poor health; ill.
  3. 3
    Having an urge to vomit.
  4. 4
    Mentally unstable, disturbed.
  5. 5
    In bad taste.
  6. 6
    [with of] Tired of or annoyed by (something that has lasted a long time or often recurs).
  7. 7
    Very good, excellent, awesome, badass.
  8. 8
    In poor condition.
  9. 9
    Failing to sustain adequate harvests of crop, usually specified.

Etymology

From Middle English sik, sike, seek, seke, seok, from Old English sēoc (“sick, ill”), from Proto-West Germanic *seuk, from Proto-Germanic *seukaz, from Proto-Indo-European *sewg- (“to be troubled or grieved”). See also West Frisian siik, Dutch ziek, German siech, Norwegian Bokmål syk, Norwegian Nynorsk sjuk, Danish syg; also Middle Irish socht (“silence, depression”), Old Armenian հիւծանիմ (hiwcanim, “I am weakening”). The "very good, excellent" sense is an ameliorative semantic shift from the original sense of "in poor health". Compare similar semantic development in terrific and wicked.

This word in other languages

mareado(Español)nauséeux(Français)leid(Deutsch)animal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: isck,scik,sicck,sickk,sikc,ssick

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sick - 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.

isck2scik2sicck1sickk1sikc2ssick1
Edit distance from "sick"

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 "sick"?
"sick" is spelled S-I-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪk/.
What does "sick" mean?
As an adjective, "sick" means: In poor health; ill.
What words are commonly confused with "sick"?
"sick" is commonly confused with "SK", "six", "sir". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sick"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sick" is /ˈsɪk/. 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 "sick"?
From Middle English sik, sike, seek, seke, seok, from Old English sēoc (“sick, ill”), from Proto-West Germanic *seuk, from Proto-Germanic *seukaz, from Proto-Indo-European *sewg- (“to be troubled or grieved”). See also West Frisian siik, Dutch zie... 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.

Using “sick”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-I-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “SK” - see the side-by-side comparison. sick vs SK
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list