specie

/ˈspiːʃi/

//ˈspiːʃi// noun

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

"specie" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“specie” is uncommon English (frequency #57,087 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,087
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Type or kind, in various uses of the phrase in specie.

Key facts for specie
PropertyValue
Headwordspecie
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈspiːʃi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#57,087
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “specie” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

specie is uncommon English at frequency #57,087 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈspiːʃi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for specie in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Originally in the phrase in specie; from Latin speciē, ablative singular of species. Compare in kind. The correct English form is specie, spelled S-P-E-C-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Type or kind, in various uses of the phrase in specie.
  2. 2
    Money in the form of coins made from precious metal that has an intrinsic value; coinage.

Etymology

Originally in the phrase in specie; from Latin speciē, ablative singular of species. Compare in kind.

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 "specie"?
"specie" is spelled S-P-E-C-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspiːʃi/.
What does "specie" mean?
As a noun, "specie" means: Type or kind, in various uses of the phrase in specie.
How do you pronounce "specie"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "specie" is /ˈspiːʃi/. 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 "specie"?
Originally in the phrase in specie; from Latin speciē, ablative singular of species. Compare in kind. 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.

Using “specie”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-P-E-C-I-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈspiːʃi/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list