splice

/splaɪs/

//splaɪs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“splice” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #34,295 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#34,295
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A junction or joining of ropes made by splicing them together.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

splice vs split
67% similar
splice vs spruce
67% similar
splice vs sprite
67% similar

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

Key facts for splice
PropertyValue
Headwordsplice
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/splaɪs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#34,295
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “splice” 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). splice lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for splice is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /splaɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,295 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for splice, with forms such as "pslice", "slpice", and "spilce". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "split", "spruce", "sprite", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Circa 1525, borrowed from Middle Dutch splissen (Modern Dutch splitsen); akin to Middle Dutch splitten (“to split”), German spleißen (“to split, splice”), Spliss (“split ends, hair breakage”), French épisser (also from Dutch). The Dutch word originally refe… The correct English form is splice, spelled S-P-L-I-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A junction or joining of ropes made by splicing them together.
  2. 2
    The electrical and mechanical connection between two pieces of wire or cable.
  3. 3
    That part of a bat where the handle joins the blade.
  4. 4
    Bonding or joining of overlapping materials.
  5. 5
    The process of removing intron sequences from the pre-messenger RNA, and then joining together exons.

Etymology

Circa 1525, borrowed from Middle Dutch splissen (Modern Dutch splitsen); akin to Middle Dutch splitten (“to split”), German spleißen (“to split, splice”), Spliss (“split ends, hair breakage”), French épisser (also from Dutch). The Dutch word originally referred only to the fraying of the ropes' ends but was then also used for the entire process of fraying and retying; hence the peculiar semantic development from “split” to “join”. The same development occurred in German.

This word in other languages

empalme(Español)épissure(Français)Verbindung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: pslice,slpice,spilce,splcie,splicce,spliec,spllice,spplice,ssplice

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of splice - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

pslice2slpice2spilce2splcie2splicce1spliec2spllice1spplice1
Edit distance from "splice"

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 "splice"?
"splice" is spelled S-P-L-I-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /splaɪs/.
What does "splice" mean?
As a noun, "splice" means: A junction or joining of ropes made by splicing them together.
What words are commonly confused with "splice"?
"splice" is commonly confused with "split", "spruce", "sprite". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "splice"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "splice" is /splaɪs/. 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 "splice"?
Circa 1525, borrowed from Middle Dutch splissen (Modern Dutch splitsen); akin to Middle Dutch splitten (“to split”), German spleißen (“to split, splice”), Spliss (“split ends, hair breakage”), French épisser (also from Dutch). The Dutch word origi... 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 “splice”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-P-L-I-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /splaɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “split” - see the side-by-side comparison. splice vs split
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list