solicit

/səˈlɪsɪt/

//səˈlɪsɪt// verb

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

"solicit" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“solicit” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,968. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,968
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To persistently endeavor to obtain an object, or bring about an event.

Corpus desk

Index EN-solicit · solicit · English

solicit · rank #26,968 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,968
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH soared

Nearest frequency peer: soared (-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 “solicit”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “solicit” 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).

solicit vs solidity
75% similar
solicit vs solicitor
78% similar
solicit vs solicited
78% similar

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

Key facts for solicit
PropertyValue
Headwordsolicit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/səˈlɪsɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#26,968
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “solicit”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).solicitlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “soared” (#26,967), “slough” (#26,965), “Spaniard” (#26,971). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “solicit” is #26,968. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around solicit (IPA /səˈlɪsɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #26,968 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for solicit, with forms such as "oslicit", "sloicit", and "soilcit". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "solidity", "solicitor", "solicited", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English soliciten, solliciten, from Old French soliciter, solliciter, borrowed from Latin sollicitō (“stir, disturb; look after”), from sollicitus (“agitated, anxious, punctilious”, literally “thoroughly moved”), from sollus (“whole, entire”) + … The correct English form is solicit, spelled S-O-L-I-C-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To persistently endeavor to obtain an object, or bring about an event.
  2. 2
    To woo; to court.
  3. 3
    To persuade or incite one to commit some act, especially illegal or sexual behavior.
  4. 4
    To offer to perform sexual activity, especially when for a payment.
  5. 5
    To make a petition.
  6. 6
    To disturb or trouble; to harass.
  7. 7
    To urge the claims of; to plead; to act as solicitor for or with reference to.
  8. 8
    To disturb; to disquiet.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to solicit alms, or a favour
  2. I view my crime, but kindle at the view, Repent old pleasures, and solicit new. Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me?

Etymology

From Middle English soliciten, solliciten, from Old French soliciter, solliciter, borrowed from Latin sollicitō (“stir, disturb; look after”), from sollicitus (“agitated, anxious, punctilious”, literally “thoroughly moved”), from sollus (“whole, entire”) + perfect passive participle of cieō (“shake, excite, cite, to put in motion”).

This word in other languages

solicitar(Español)racoler(Français)anfordern(Deutsch)solicitar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oslicit
  • sloicit
  • soilcit
  • solciit
  • soliccit
  • solicitt
  • solicti
  • soliict
  • sollicit
  • ssolicit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of solicit - 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.

oslicit2sloicit2soilcit2solciit2soliccit1solicitt1solicti2soliict2
Edit distance from "solicit"

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 "solicit"?
"solicit" is spelled S-O-L-I-C-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈlɪsɪt/.
What does "solicit" mean?
As a verb, "solicit" means: To persistently endeavor to obtain an object, or bring about an event.
What words are commonly confused with "solicit"?
"solicit" is commonly confused with "solidity", "solicitor", "solicited". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "solicit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "solicit" is /səˈlɪsɪt/. 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 "solicit"?
From Middle English soliciten, solliciten, from Old French soliciter, solliciter, borrowed from Latin sollicitō (“stir, disturb; look after”), from sollicitus (“agitated, anxious, punctilious”, literally “thoroughly moved”), from sollus (“whole, e... 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 "solicit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

scrappy#26,957succumb#26,982Susanna#26,988rollout#26,944

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

tagline10 variantsthwart10 variantstortilla10 variantsregroup10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list