superbug
"superbug" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“superbug” is uncommon English (frequency #94,303 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #94,303
- frequency rank, English
- 54,294
- “S” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics (e.g., MDR, XDR).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | superbug |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #94,303 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “superbug” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
superbug is uncommon English at frequency #94,303 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
superbug doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From super- + bug. The correct English form is superbug, spelled S-U-P-E-R-B-U-G.
Definition
- 1A strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics (e.g., MDR, XDR).
- 2Any pathogen resistant to many, even all, of the biocides or other agents used to treat similar pathogens.
- 3An invasive insect, Bemisia tabaci, that is a major pest of vegetable crops, both directly and as a virus vector.
Etymology
From super- + bug.
Synonyms
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); 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
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Using “superbug”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-U-P-E-R-B-U-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.