special issue

adj

"special-issue" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“special issue” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not of the usual type issued by an organization.

Key facts for special issue
PropertyValue
Headwordspecial issue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “special issue” sits in English frequency

special issue falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

special issue is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Not of the usual type issued by an organization.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for special issue, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is special issue, spelled S-P-E-C-I-A-L- -I-S-S-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not of the usual type issued by an organization.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "special issue"?
"special issue" is spelled S-P-E-C-I-A-L- -I-S-S-U-E.
What does "special issue" mean?
As an adjective, "special issue" means: Not of the usual type issued by an organization.
What language does "special issue" come from?
"special issue" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “special issue”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-P-E-C-I-A-L- -I-S-S-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list