solstice

/ˈsɒl.stɪs/

//ˈsɒl.stɪs// noun

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

"solstice" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“solstice” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,586. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,586
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of the two points in the ecliptic at which the sun is furthest from the celestial equator. This corresponds to one of two days in the year when the day is either longest or shortest.

Corpus desk

Index EN-solstice · solstice · English

solstice · rank #25,586 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,586
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH snug

Nearest frequency peer: snug (-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 “solstice”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “solstice” 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 solstice
PropertyValue
Headwordsolstice
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɒl.stɪs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#25,586
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “solstice”

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).solsticelands 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 “snug” (#25,585), “snowing” (#25,584), “snitch” (#25,583). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “solstice” is #25,586. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around solstice (IPA /ˈsɒl.stɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,586 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "One of the two points in the ecliptic at which the sun is furthest from the celestial equator. This corresponds to one of two days in the year when the day is either longest or shortest.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for solstice, with forms such as "oslstice", "slostice", and "sollstice". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥ Latin sōl Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti Proto-Italic *sistō Latin sistō Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ium Latin sōlstitiumlbor. Old Fre… The correct English form is solstice, spelled S-O-L-S-T-I-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of the two points in the ecliptic at which the sun is furthest from the celestial equator. This corresponds to one of two days in the year when the day is either longest or shortest.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The point at which the sun is nearest to the south pole we call the winter solstice, and the opposite point, the summer solstice.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥ Latin sōl Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti Proto-Italic *sistō Latin sistō Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ium Latin sōlstitiumlbor. Old French solsticebor. Middle English solstice English solstice From Middle English solstice, from Old French solstice, from Latin sōlstitium.

Antonyms

equinox

This word in other languages

solsticio(Español)solstice(Français)Sonnenwende(Deutsch)solstício(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oslstice
  • slostice
  • sollstice
  • solsitce
  • solsstice
  • solstcie
  • solsticce
  • solstiec
  • solsttice
  • soltsice
  • sosltice
  • ssolstice

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of solstice - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

oslstice2slostice2sollstice1solsitce2solsstice1solstcie2solsticce1solstiec2
Edit distance from "solstice"

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 "solstice"?
"solstice" is spelled S-O-L-S-T-I-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɒl.stɪs/.
What does "solstice" mean?
As a noun, "solstice" means: One of the two points in the ecliptic at which the sun is furthest from the celestial equator. This corresponds to one of two days in the year when the day is either longest or shortest.
What are common misspellings of "solstice"?
Common misspellings include "oslstice", "slostice", "sollstice", "solsitce", "solsstice". The correct spelling is "solstice".
How do you pronounce "solstice"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "solstice" is /ˈsɒl.stɪs/. 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 "solstice"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥ Latin sōl Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti Proto-Italic *sistō Latin sistō Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ium Latin sōlstitiumlbo... 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 "solstice", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sparsely#25,589slowdown#25,580subtract#25,600syphilis#25,606

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

tabletop12 variantsretaliate12 variantsundercut12 variantsPeshawar12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list