spicy

/ˈspaɪsi/

//ˈspaɪsi// adj

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

"spicy" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“spicy” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,672. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,672
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of, pertaining to, or containing spice.

Corpus desk

Index EN-spicy · spicy · English

spicy · rank #9,672 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,672
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH skeleton

Nearest frequency peer: skeleton (-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 “spicy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “spicy” 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).

spicy vs spy
60% similar
spicy vs spin
60% similar
spicy vs spit
60% similar

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

Key facts for spicy
PropertyValue
Headwordspicy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈspaɪsi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,672
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “spicy”

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).spicylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “skeleton” (#9,671), “sticky” (#9,673), “SIM” (#9,670). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “spicy” is #9,672. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around spicy (IPA /ˈspaɪsi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #9,672 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for spicy, with forms such as "psicy", "sipcy", and "spciy". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "spy", "spin", "spit", 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 spic(e) + -y. First attested in the 16th century. The correct English form is spicy, spelled S-P-I-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of, pertaining to, or containing spice.
  2. 2
    Of a flavor, provoking a burning sensation due to the presence of capsaicin or a similar chemical.
  3. 3
    Of a food, flavor, or odor, tangy, zesty, or pungent.
  4. 4
    Of an expression or behavior, vigorous; colorful; stimulating.
  5. 5
    Scandalous.
  6. 6
    Risky; mildly aggressive or dangerous.
  7. 7
    Risqué, sexy, racy; mildly pornographic.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He prepared a spicy casserole.
  2. This curry is too spicy for me. I can't eat it.

Etymology

From spic(e) + -y. First attested in the 16th century.

Synonyms

hotspicy-hotpiquantpungentspicytangyzesty

Antonyms

blandmildspicelessunspicy

This word in other languages

condimentado(Español)épicé(Français)würzig(Deutsch)temperado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • psicy
  • sipcy
  • spciy
  • spiccy
  • spicyy
  • spiyc
  • sppicy
  • sspicy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of spicy - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

psicy2sipcy2spciy2spiccy1spicyy1spiyc2sppicy1sspicy1
Edit distance from "spicy"

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 "spicy"?
"spicy" is spelled S-P-I-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspaɪsi/.
What does "spicy" mean?
As an adjective, "spicy" means: Of, pertaining to, or containing spice.
What words are commonly confused with "spicy"?
"spicy" is commonly confused with "spy", "spin", "spit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "spicy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spicy" is /ˈspaɪsi/. 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 "spicy"?
From spic(e) + -y. First attested in the 16th century. 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 "spicy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sting#9,674seize#9,669Trent#9,680wines#9,695

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Morocco8 variantsMarion8 variantsmadame8 variantsluggage8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list