soporific

/ˌsɒp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk/

//ˌsɒp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk// noun

"soporific" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“soporific” is uncommon English (frequency #84,764 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,764
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Something inducing sleep, especially a drug.

Corpus desk

Index EN-soporific · soporific · English

soporific · rank #84,764 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #84,764
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sorokin

Nearest frequency peer: Sorokin (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “soporific”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “soporific” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for soporific
PropertyValue
Headwordsoporific
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌsɒp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk/
Letters9
Frequency rank#84,764
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “soporific” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Sorokin” (#84,765), “soundproofing” (#84,766), “snus” (#84,761). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “soporific” is #84,764. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

soporific is uncommon English at frequency #84,764 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌsɒp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

soporific doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French soporifique, from Latin sopor (“deep sleep”). Unrelated to stupor (distinct in Proto-Indo-European). The correct English form is soporific, spelled S-O-P-O-R-I-F-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something inducing sleep, especially a drug.
  2. 2
    Something boring or dull.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The doctor prescribed a soporific to help the patient sleep.
  2. And ancient soporifics—such as poisonous leaves and various opiate concoctions—were roughly as likely to kill you as they were to induce REM.

Etymology

From French soporifique, from Latin sopor (“deep sleep”). Unrelated to stupor (distinct in Proto-Indo-European).

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

How do you spell "soporific"?
"soporific" is spelled S-O-P-O-R-I-F-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌsɒp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk/.
What does "soporific" mean?
As a noun, "soporific" means: Something inducing sleep, especially a drug.
How do you pronounce "soporific"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "soporific" is /ˌsɒp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk/. 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 "soporific"?
From French soporifique, from Latin sopor (“deep sleep”). Unrelated to stupor (distinct in Proto-Indo-European). 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 "soporific", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list