species

/ˈspiːʃiːz/

//ˈspiːʃiːz// noun

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

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

The verdict

“species” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,505. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,505
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A type or kind. (Compare race.)

Corpus desk

Index EN-species · species · English

species · rank #1,505 · 10 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,505
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH slow

Nearest frequency peer: slow (-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 “species”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “species” 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).

species vs spies
71% similar
species vs specs
71% similar
species vs spices
71% similar

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

Key facts for species
PropertyValue
Headwordspecies
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈspiːʃiːz/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,505
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “species”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “slow” (#1,504), “speech” (#1,506), “signed” (#1,503). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “species” is #1,505. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around species (IPA /ˈspiːʃiːz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,505 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for species, with forms such as "psecies", "sepcies", and "spceies". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "spies", "specs", "spices", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin speciēs (“appearance; quality”), from speciō (“see”) + -iēs suffix signifying abstract noun. Doublet of spice. The correct English form is species, spelled S-P-E-C-I-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type or kind. (Compare race.)
  2. 2
    A type or kind. (Compare race.)
  3. 3
    A type or kind. (Compare race.)
  4. 4
    A type or kind. (Compare race.)
  5. 5
    A type or kind. (Compare race.)
  6. 6
    A type or kind. (Compare race.)
  7. 7
    An image, an appearance, a spectacle.
  8. 8
    An image, an appearance, a spectacle.
  9. 9
    Either of the two elements of the Eucharist after they have been consecrated.
  10. 10
    Coin, or coined silver, gold, or other metal, used as a circulating medium; specie.
  11. 11
    A component part of compound medicine; a simple.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the male species
  2. a new species of war

Etymology

From Latin speciēs (“appearance; quality”), from speciō (“see”) + -iēs suffix signifying abstract noun. Doublet of spice.

This word in other languages

especie(Español)espèce(Français)Art(Deutsch)espécie(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • psecies
  • sepcies
  • spceies
  • speccies
  • speceis
  • speciess
  • specise
  • speices
  • sppecies
  • sspecies

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of species - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

psecies2sepcies2spceies2speccies1speceis2speciess1specise2speices2
Edit distance from "species"

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 "species"?
"species" is spelled S-P-E-C-I-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspiːʃiːz/.
What does "species" mean?
As a noun, "species" means: A type or kind. (Compare race.)
What words are commonly confused with "species"?
"species" is commonly confused with "spies", "specs", "spices". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "species"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "species" is /ˈspiːʃiːz/. 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 "species"?
From Latin speciēs (“appearance; quality”), from speciō (“see”) + -iēs suffix signifying abstract noun. Doublet of spice. 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 "species", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

traffic#1,507wearing#1,511receive#1,496reached#1,495

Similar misspelling depth

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

airport10 variantsanimals10 variantslearned10 variantskeeping10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list