smallpox

/ˈsmɔːlpɒks/

//ˈsmɔːlpɒks// noun

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

"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
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 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...

Corpus desk

Index EN-smallpox · smallpox · English

smallpox · rank #20,776 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,776
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH slaying

Nearest frequency peer: slaying (-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 “smallpox”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “smallpox” 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
Key facts for smallpox
PropertyValue
Headwordsmallpox
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsmɔːlpɒks/
Letters8
Frequency rank#20,776
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “smallpox”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).smallpoxlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “slaying” (#20,775), “Sirius” (#20,774), “snoring” (#20,778). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “smallpox” is #20,776. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around smallpox (IPA /ˈsmɔːlpɒks/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,776 among 6,566 “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

  1. 1
    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 were left with pockmarks.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Europeans brought new diseases such as smallpox, measles, dysentery, influenza, syphilis and leprosy.
  2. We know that the most deadly of the early epidemics in America were those of the eruptive fevers—smallpox, measles, typhus, and so on. The first to arrive and the deadliest, said contemporaries, was smallpox.

Etymology

From small + pox, in contrast to greatpox (“syphilis”).

This word in other languages

viruela(Español)variole(Français)Pocken(Deutsch)varíola(Português)

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.

msallpox2samllpox2smallopx2smallpoxx1smallppox1smallpxo2smalplox2smalpox1
Edit distance from "smallpox"

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"?
"smallpox" is spelled S-M-A-L-L-P-O-X. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsmɔːlpɒks/.
What does "smallpox" mean?
As a noun, "smallpox" means: 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...
What are common misspellings of "smallpox"?
Common misspellings include "msallpox", "samllpox", "smallopx", "smallpoxx", "smallppox". The correct spelling is "smallpox".
How do you pronounce "smallpox"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "smallpox" is /ˈsmɔːlpɒks/. 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 "smallpox"?
From small + pox, in contrast to greatpox (“syphilis”). 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 "smallpox", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sorority#20,780serviced#20,770starship#20,787richness#20,761

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

slaying11 variantssnoring11 variantstortoise11 variantsvividly11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list