simulacrum
/ˌsɪmjʊˈleɪkɹəm/
"simulacrum" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“simulacrum” is an uncommon English word, ranked #81,826 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #81,826
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A physical image or representation of a deity, person, or thing.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | simulacrum |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌsɪmjʊˈleɪkɹəm/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #81,826 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “simulacrum” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for simulacrum is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌsɪmjʊˈleɪkɹəm/. Corpus data places it at rank #81,826 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for simulacrum in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin simulācrum (“image, likeness”), from simul(ā) + -crum (a variant of -culum, from Proto-Indo-European *-tlom, a suffix forming instrument nouns), from similis (“similar (to)”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one; tog… The correct English form is simulacrum, spelled S-I-M-U-L-A-C-R-U-M.
Definition
- 1A physical image or representation of a deity, person, or thing.
- 2A thing which has the appearance or form of another thing, but not its true qualities; a thing which simulates another thing; an imitation; a semblance.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin simulācrum (“image, likeness”), from simul(ā) + -crum (a variant of -culum, from Proto-Indo-European *-tlom, a suffix forming instrument nouns), from similis (“similar (to)”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one; together”).
This word in other languages
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
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Using “simulacrum”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-I-M-U-L-A-C-R-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌsɪmjʊˈleɪkɹəm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.