stethoscope

Name: stethoscope, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈstɛθəskəʊp/

//ˈstɛθəskəʊp// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“stethoscope” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,940. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,940
frequency rank, English: 6,566
“S” headwords: 17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A medical instrument used for listening to sounds produced within the body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stethoscope · stethoscope · English

stethoscope · rank #43,940 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #43,940
LEN-MEGA 11 letters
VOW-4 4 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 17 variants
BOOK-DENSE 6,566
PHOTO-FINISH Stepan

Nearest frequency peer: Stepan (-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.

squirming

56,065
Statham

56,064
Stepan

56,062
stethoscope

56,061
strident

56,059
superstore

56,058

What this shows “stethoscope” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Key facts for stethoscope
Property	Value
Headword	stethoscope
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈstɛθəskəʊp/
Letters	11
Frequency rank	#43,940
Misspellings tracked	17
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stethoscope”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).stethoscopelands here:

#43,940

#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 “Stepan” (#43,939), “strident” (#43,942), “Statham” (#43,937). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stethoscope” is #43,940. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around stethoscope (IPA /ˈstɛθəskəʊp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,940 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A medical instrument used for listening to sounds produced within the body.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for stethoscope, with forms such as "setthoscope", "sstethoscope", and "stehtoscope". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French stéthoscope, a word coined by its inventor, physician René Laennec, equivalent to stetho- + -scope. The correct English form is stethoscope, spelled S-T-E-T-H-O-S-C-O-P-E.

Definition

1
A medical instrument used for listening to sounds produced within the body.

Etymology

Borrowed from French stéthoscope, a word coined by its inventor, physician René Laennec, equivalent to stetho- + -scope.

This word in other languages

estetoscopio(Español)stéthoscope(Français)Stethoskop(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

setthoscope
sstethoscope
stehtoscope
stethhoscope
stethocsope
stethosccope
stethoscoep
stethoscoppe
stethoscpoe
stethosocpe
stethosscope
stethsocope
stetohscope
stetthoscope
sttehoscope
sttethoscope
tsethoscope

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "stethoscope"

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 "stethoscope"?

"stethoscope" is spelled S-T-E-T-H-O-S-C-O-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɛθəskəʊp/.

What does "stethoscope" mean?

As a noun, "stethoscope" means: A medical instrument used for listening to sounds produced within the body.

What are common misspellings of "stethoscope"?

Common misspellings include "setthoscope", "sstethoscope", "stehtoscope", "stethhoscope", "stethocsope". The correct spelling is "stethoscope".

How do you pronounce "stethoscope"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stethoscope" is /ˈstɛθəskəʊp/. 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 "stethoscope"?

Borrowed from French stéthoscope, a word coined by its inventor, physician René Laennec, equivalent to stetho- + -scope. 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 "stethoscope", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sequestered#43,908 unreachable#43,992 refrigerant#43,877 wheelbarrow#44,017

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

unaffordable17 variants pathetically17 variants orchestrate17 variants blogosphere17 variants