smallpox
/ˈsmɔːlpɒks/
"smallpox" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“smallpox” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,776. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #20,776
- frequency rank, English
- 54,294
- “S” headwords
- 11
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An acute, highly infectious often fatal disease caused by Variola virus of the family Poxviridae. It was completely eradicated in the 1970s, but still exists in laboratories. Those who survived wer...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | smallpox |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsmɔːlpɒks/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #20,776 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “smallpox” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 11 spelling variants around smallpox (IPA /ˈsmɔːlpɒks/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,776 among 54,294 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An acute, highly infectious often fatal disease caused by Variola virus of the family Poxviridae. It was completely eradicated in the 1970s, but still exists in laboratories. Those who survived wer...".
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for smallpox, with forms such as "msallpox", "samllpox", and "smallopx". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From small + pox, in contrast to greatpox (“syphilis”). The correct English form is smallpox, spelled S-M-A-L-L-P-O-X.
Definition
- 1An acute, highly infectious often fatal disease caused by Variola virus of the family Poxviridae. It was completely eradicated in the 1970s, but still exists in laboratories. Those who survived were left with pockmarks.
Etymology
From small + pox, in contrast to greatpox (“syphilis”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: msallpox,samllpox,smallopx,smallpoxx,smallppox,smallpxo,smalplox,smalpox,smlalpox,smmallpox,ssmallpox
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of smallpox - 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.
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 "smallpox"?
What does "smallpox" mean?
What are common misspellings of "smallpox"?
How do you pronounce "smallpox"?
What is the origin of the word "smallpox"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “smallpox”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-M-A-L-L-P-O-X - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsmɔːlpɒks/ (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
Same frequency band
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.