sphinx

/ˈsfɪŋks/

//ˈsfɪŋks// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sphinx” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,100. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,100
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A creature with the head of a person and the body of an animal, commonly a lion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sphinx · sphinx · English

sphinx · rank #29,100 · 10 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,100
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sowing

Nearest frequency peer: sowing (-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 “sphinx”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sphinx” 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).

sphinx vs spin
67% similar
sphinx vs spine
67% similar
sphinx vs spins
67% similar

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

Key facts for sphinx
PropertyValue
Headwordsphinx
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsfɪŋks/
Letters6
Frequency rank#29,100
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sphinx”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).sphinxlands 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 “sowing” (#29,099), “spore” (#29,101), “soreness” (#29,097). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sphinx” is #29,100. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around sphinx (IPA /ˈsfɪŋks/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,100 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for sphinx, with forms such as "pshinx", "shpinx", and "sphhinx". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "spin", "spine", "spins", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Sphinx, from Middle English Spynx, from Latin Sphinx, from Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx), perhaps either from σφίγγω (sphíngō, “to squeeze, to strangle”) (whence also sphincter), of Pre-Greek origin, or from Egyptian Szp:p-A53-anx-n:x (šzp-ꜥnḫ, “divine … The correct English form is sphinx, spelled S-P-H-I-N-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    A creature with the head of a person and the body of an animal, commonly a lion.
  2. 2
    A person who keeps their thoughts and intentions secret; an enigmatic or impassive person.
  3. 3
    A mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx), formerly classified as a baboon, and called sphinx baboon.
  4. 4
    A sphinx moth.
  5. 5
    A sphincter.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [W]hatsoe'er of strange / Sculptured on alabaster obelisk, / Or jasper tomb, or mutilated sphynx, / Dark Æthiopia in her desert hills. / Conceals.
  2. ...it is clear that judges are no longer required to be as passive as they once were; to be what I call sphinx judges. We now not only accept that a judge may intervene in the adversarial debate, but also believe that it is sometimes essential for him to do so for justice in fact to be done.

Etymology

From Sphinx, from Middle English Spynx, from Latin Sphinx, from Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx), perhaps either from σφίγγω (sphíngō, “to squeeze, to strangle”) (whence also sphincter), of Pre-Greek origin, or from Egyptian Szp:p-A53-anx-n:x (šzp-ꜥnḫ, “divine image”, literally “living image”).

This word in other languages

esfinge(Español)sphinx(Français)Sphinx(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pshinx
  • shpinx
  • sphhinx
  • sphinnx
  • sphinxx
  • sphixn
  • sphnix
  • spihnx
  • spphinx
  • ssphinx

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pshinx2shpinx2sphhinx1sphinnx1sphinxx1sphixn2sphnix2spihnx2
Edit distance from "sphinx"

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 "sphinx"?
"sphinx" is spelled S-P-H-I-N-X. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsfɪŋks/.
What does "sphinx" mean?
As a noun, "sphinx" means: A creature with the head of a person and the body of an animal, commonly a lion.
What words are commonly confused with "sphinx"?
"sphinx" is commonly confused with "spin", "spine", "spins". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sphinx"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sphinx" is /ˈsfɪŋks/. 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 "sphinx"?
From Sphinx, from Middle English Spynx, from Latin Sphinx, from Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx), perhaps either from σφίγγω (sphíngō, “to squeeze, to strangle”) (whence also sphincter), of Pre-Greek origin, or from Egyptian Szp:p-A53-anx-n:x (šzp-ꜥnḫ... 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 "sphinx", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sowing#29,099stifle#29,104soleil#29,094surged#29,110

Similar misspelling depth

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

soreness10 variantssoloist10 variantsadrenal10 variantsalluding10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list