sixth sense

noun

"sixth-sense" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sixth sense” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Extrasensory perception; the ability to sense things by means other than the known bodily senses.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sixth-sense · sixth sense · English

sixth sense · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for sixth sense
PropertyValue
Headwordsixth sense
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sixth sense” in English

sixth sensefalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sixth sense is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Extrasensory perception; the ability to sense things by means other than the known bodily senses.".

sixth sense has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Adding to the traditional five senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. The correct English form is sixth sense, spelled S-I-X-T-H- -S-E-N-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Extrasensory perception; the ability to sense things by means other than the known bodily senses.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Among themselves they communicate by means of what Perry says must be a sixth sense which is cognizant of a fourth dimension.
  2. Luckily, on evidence which I could never understand, Dominic detected something suspicious. Perhaps it was by virtue of some sixth sense that men born for unlawful occupations may be gifted with.

Etymology

Adding to the traditional five senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing.

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sixth sense"?
"sixth sense" is spelled S-I-X-T-H- -S-E-N-S-E.
What does "sixth sense" mean?
As a noun, "sixth sense" means: Extrasensory perception; the ability to sense things by means other than the known bodily senses.
What is the origin of the word "sixth sense"?
Adding to the traditional five senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list