soapstone
/ˈsoʊpˌstoʊn/
"soapstone" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“soapstone” is uncommon English (frequency #64,720 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #64,720
- frequency rank, English
- 54,294
- “S” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A soft rock, rich in talc, also containing serpentine and either magnetite, dolomite or calcite.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | soapstone |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsoʊpˌstoʊn/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #64,720 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “soapstone” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
soapstone is uncommon English at frequency #64,720 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsoʊpˌstoʊn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for soapstone, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From soap + stone; so called because the archetypal varieties of the stone resemble soap in multiple ways: their feel, appearance, and carvability. First use appears c. 1681, in the writings of Nehemiah Grew. The correct English form is soapstone, spelled S-O-A-P-S-T-O-N-E.
Definition
- 1A soft rock, rich in talc, also containing serpentine and either magnetite, dolomite or calcite.
- 2Synonym of saponite.
Etymology
From soap + stone; so called because the archetypal varieties of the stone resemble soap in multiple ways: their feel, appearance, and carvability. First use appears c. 1681, in the writings of Nehemiah Grew.
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); 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
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Using “soapstone”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-O-A-P-S-T-O-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsoʊpˌstoʊn/ (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
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.