staphylococcus

/ˌstæfələˈkɔkəs/

//ˌstæfələˈkɔkəs// noun

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

"staphylococcus" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“staphylococcus” has 21 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,502. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,502
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
21
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A spherical gram-positive parasitic bacterium of the genus Staphylococcus, causing blisters, septicemia, and other infections.

Corpus desk

Index EN-staphylococcus · staphylococcus · English

staphylococcus · rank #44,502 · 21 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,502
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 21 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stator

Nearest frequency peer: stator (+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 “staphylococcus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “staphylococcus” 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
Key facts for staphylococcus
PropertyValue
Headwordstaphylococcus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌstæfələˈkɔkəs/
Letters14
Frequency rank#44,502
Misspellings tracked21
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “staphylococcus”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “stator” (#44,503), “squamous” (#44,500), “steelhead” (#44,504). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “staphylococcus” is #44,502. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 21 spelling variants around staphylococcus (IPA /ˌstæfələˈkɔkəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,502 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A spherical gram-positive parasitic bacterium of the genus Staphylococcus, causing blisters, septicemia, and other infections.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 21 likely wrong-spelling variants for staphylococcus, with forms such as "satphylococcus", "sstaphylococcus", and "stahpylococcus". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from translingual Staphylococcus. By surface analysis, staphylo- + -coccus. The correct English form is staphylococcus, spelled S-T-A-P-H-Y-L-O-C-O-C-C-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A spherical gram-positive parasitic bacterium of the genus Staphylococcus, causing blisters, septicemia, and other infections.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. This Scottish bacteriologist accidentally discovered the antibiotic penicillin after bacteria-killing fungus formed on staphylococci cultures he had left unattended.

Etymology

Borrowed from translingual Staphylococcus. By surface analysis, staphylo- + -coccus.

This word in other languages

estafilococo(Español)staphylocoque(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • satphylococcus
  • sstaphylococcus
  • stahpylococcus
  • staphhylococcus
  • staphlyococcus
  • staphylcooccus
  • staphyllococcus
  • staphyloccoccus
  • staphyloccocus
  • staphylococcsu
  • staphylococcuss
  • staphylococucs
  • staphylococus
  • staphyloocccus
  • staphyolcoccus
  • staphyylococcus
  • stapphylococcus
  • stapyhlococcus
  • stpahylococcus
  • sttaphylococcus
  • tsaphylococcus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of staphylococcus - 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.

satphylococcus2sstaphylococcus1stahpylococcus2staphhylococcus1staphlyococcus2staphylcooccus2staphyllococcus1staphyloccoccus1
Edit distance from "staphylococcus"

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 "staphylococcus"?
"staphylococcus" is spelled S-T-A-P-H-Y-L-O-C-O-C-C-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌstæfələˈkɔkəs/.
What does "staphylococcus" mean?
As a noun, "staphylococcus" means: A spherical gram-positive parasitic bacterium of the genus Staphylococcus, causing blisters, septicemia, and other infections.
What are common misspellings of "staphylococcus"?
Common misspellings include "satphylococcus", "sstaphylococcus", "stahpylococcus", "staphhylococcus", "staphlyococcus". The correct spelling is "staphylococcus".
How do you pronounce "staphylococcus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "staphylococcus" is /ˌstæfələˈkɔkəs/. 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 "staphylococcus"?
Borrowed from translingual Staphylococcus. By surface analysis, staphylo- + -coccus. 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 "staphylococcus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 14 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

preferentially#44,415immunoglobulin#44,266extraordinaire#44,193interdependent#44,868

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (21 here; floor ≥5).

radicalization21 variantsoverprotective21 variantsindustrialised21 variantsdismemberment21 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list