strychnine

/ˈstɹɪk.niːn/

//ˈstɹɪk.niːn// noun

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

"strychnine" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“strychnine” is uncommon English (frequency #62,538 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,538
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A very toxic, colorless crystalline alkaloid, derived from nux vomica, used as a pesticide.

Corpus desk

Index EN-strychnine · strychnine · English

strychnine · rank #62,538 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,538
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH subsidise

Nearest frequency peer: subsidise (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “strychnine”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “strychnine” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for strychnine
PropertyValue
Headwordstrychnine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstɹɪk.niːn/
Letters10
Frequency rank#62,538
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “strychnine” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “subsidise” (#62,539), “Strathmore” (#62,536), “suckered” (#62,540). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “strychnine” is #62,538. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

strychnine is uncommon English at frequency #62,538 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈstɹɪk.niːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A very toxic, colorless crystalline alkaloid, derived from nux vomica, used as a pesticide.".

strychnine doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French strychnine, from Greek στρύχνος (strýchnos, “sleepy nightshade”) (or directly from Ancient Greek στρύχνον (strúkhnon)) + -ine. The correct English form is strychnine, spelled S-T-R-Y-C-H-N-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A very toxic, colorless crystalline alkaloid, derived from nux vomica, used as a pesticide.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Only don’t say I didn’t warn you if he burns Green Gables down or puts strychnine in the well—I heard of a case over in New Brunswick where an orphan asylum child did that and the whole family died in fearful agonies.
  2. […] strychnine is a fairly rapid drug in its action. The symptoms appear from one to two hours after it has been swallowed.

Etymology

From French strychnine, from Greek στρύχνος (strýchnos, “sleepy nightshade”) (or directly from Ancient Greek στρύχνον (strúkhnon)) + -ine.

This word in other languages

estricnina(Español)strychnine(Français)Strychnin(Deutsch)

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 "strychnine"?
"strychnine" is spelled S-T-R-Y-C-H-N-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɹɪk.niːn/.
What does "strychnine" mean?
As a noun, "strychnine" means: A very toxic, colorless crystalline alkaloid, derived from nux vomica, used as a pesticide.
How do you pronounce "strychnine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "strychnine" is /ˈstɹɪk.niːn/. 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 "strychnine"?
From French strychnine, from Greek στρύχνος (strýchnos, “sleepy nightshade”) (or directly from Ancient Greek στρύχνον (strúkhnon)) + -ine. 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 "strychnine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Strathmore#62,536Swarthmore#62,548slaughters#62,515tendinitis#62,565

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list