skeptical

/ˈskɛptɪkəl/

//ˈskɛptɪkəl// adj

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

"skeptical" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“skeptical” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,606. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,606
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having, or expressing doubt; questioning.

Corpus desk

Index EN-skeptical · skeptical · English

skeptical · rank #11,606 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,606
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sidewalk

Nearest frequency peer: sidewalk (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “skeptical”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “skeptical” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

skeptical vs skeptic
78% similar
skeptical vs sceptical
89% similar

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

Key facts for skeptical
PropertyValue
Headwordskeptical
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈskɛptɪkəl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#11,606
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “skeptical”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).skepticallands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “sidewalk” (#11,605), “skype” (#11,607), “sleepy” (#11,608). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “skeptical” is #11,606. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around skeptical (IPA /ˈskɛptɪkəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #11,606 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for skeptical, with forms such as "kseptical", "sekptical", and "skepitcal". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "skeptic", "sceptical", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin scepticus + -al; attested earlier than skeptic. By surface analysis, skeptic + -al. The correct English form is skeptical, spelled S-K-E-P-T-I-C-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having, or expressing doubt; questioning.
  2. 2
    Of or relating to philosophical skepticism or the skeptics.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. My teacher was skeptical when I told her my dog ate my homework.
  2. Tom was skeptical when Paul told him that he saw Bigfoot.

Etymology

From Latin scepticus + -al; attested earlier than skeptic. By surface analysis, skeptic + -al.

This word in other languages

escéptico(Español)dubitatif(Français)skeptisch(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • kseptical
  • sekptical
  • skepitcal
  • skepptical
  • skeptcial
  • skeptiacl
  • skepticall
  • skepticcal
  • skepticla
  • skepttical
  • sketpical
  • skkeptical
  • skpetical
  • sskeptical

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of skeptical - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

kseptical2sekptical2skepitcal2skepptical1skeptcial2skeptiacl2skepticall1skepticcal1
Edit distance from "skeptical"

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 "skeptical"?
"skeptical" is spelled S-K-E-P-T-I-C-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskɛptɪkəl/.
What does "skeptical" mean?
As an adjective, "skeptical" means: Having, or expressing doubt; questioning.
What words are commonly confused with "skeptical"?
"skeptical" is commonly confused with "skeptic", "sceptical". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "skeptical"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "skeptical" is /ˈskɛptɪkəl/. 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 "skeptical"?
From Latin scepticus + -al; attested earlier than skeptic. By surface analysis, skeptic + -al. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "skeptical", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

reinforce#11,594rehearsal#11,593protector#11,585unanimous#11,630

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

suppression14 variantstravellers14 variantsvengeance14 variantsfreelance14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list