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sinus

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "sinus", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "sinus" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "sinus" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

sinus is aEnglishnoun. It means: A pouch or cavity in a bone or other tissue, especially one in the bones of the face or skull connecting with the nasal cavities (the paranasal sinus). Pronounced /ˈsaɪ.nəs/. Often confused with sis and Sus.

Key facts for sinus
PropertyValue
Headwordsinus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsaɪ.nəs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#20,225
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of sinus in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for sinus is 5 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsaɪ.nəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #20,225 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 7 documented wrong-spelling variants for sinus, with forms such as "isnus", "sinnus", and "sinsu". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sis", "Sus", "Siu", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin sinus (“a bent surface, curve, hollow”). Doublet of sine. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is sinus, spelled S-I-N-U-S, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pouch or cavity in a bone or other tissue, especially one in the bones of the face or skull connecting with the nasal cavities (the paranasal sinus).
  2. 2
    An irregular venous or lymphatic cavity, reservoir, or dilated vessel.
  3. 3
    An irregular venous or lymphatic cavity, reservoir, or dilated vessel.
  4. 4
    An abnormal cavity or passage such as a fistula, leading from a deep-seated infection and discharging pus to the surface.
  5. 5
    A rounded notch or depression between two lobes or teeth in the margin of a leaf or petal.
  6. 6
    A bay of the sea; a recess in the shore.
  7. 7
    Synonym of sine.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin sinus (“a bent surface, curve, hollow”). Doublet of sine.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: isnus,sinnus,sinsu,sinuss,siuns,snius,ssinus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for sinus

Misspelling Variants of "sinus"

isnus5sinnus6sinsu5sinuss6siuns5snius5ssinus6
Misspelling Variants of "sinus"

Frequency rank: #20,225 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sinus"?
"sinus" is spelled S-I-N-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsaɪ.nəs/.
What does "sinus" mean?
As a noun, "sinus" means: A pouch or cavity in a bone or other tissue, especially one in the bones of the face or skull connecting with the nasal cavities (the paranasal sinus).
What words are commonly confused with "sinus"?
"sinus" is commonly confused with "sis", "Sus", "Siu". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sinus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sinus" is /ˈsaɪ.nəs/. 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 "sinus"?
Learned borrowing from Latin sinus (“a bent surface, curve, hollow”). Doublet of sine. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter S in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.