sui generis
/suˑ.i ˈɡɛnɛɹɪs/
"sui-generis" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“sui generis” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a class of its own; one of a kind.
Corpus desk
Index EN-sui-generis · sui generis · English
sui generis · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "S" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | sui generis |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /suˑ.i ˈɡɛnɛɹɪs/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “sui generis” in English
Rare enough to double-check
sui generis is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /suˑ.i ˈɡɛnɛɹɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In a class of its own; one of a kind.".
No generated misspelling entries exist for sui generis in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin suī generis (literally “of its own kind/class”). The correct English form is sui generis, spelled S-U-I- -G-E-N-E-R-I-S.
Definition
- 1In a class of its own; one of a kind.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how sui generis appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
It is easy to describe second-rate talents, because they fall into a class and enlist under a standard; but first-rate powers defy calculation or comparison, and can be defined only by themselves. They are sui generis, and make the class to which they belong.
The transcendent case before us is absolutely sui generis.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin suī generis (literally “of its own kind/class”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.