superscript

noun

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

"superscript" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“superscript” is uncommon English (frequency #75,460 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,460
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A type of lettering form that appears as a number, figure, or symbol above the normal line of type, located at the right or left of another symbol or text.

Corpus desk

Index EN-superscript · superscript · English

superscript · rank #75,460 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,460
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH suppressant

Nearest frequency peer: suppressant (+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 “superscript”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for superscript
PropertyValue
Headwordsuperscript
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters11
Frequency rank#75,460
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “superscript” in English

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).superscriptfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “suppressant” (#75,461), “sulfite” (#75,457), “Sukhoi” (#75,456). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “superscript” is #75,460. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

superscript is uncommon English at frequency #75,460 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A type of lettering form that appears as a number, figure, or symbol above the normal line of type, located at the right or left of another symbol or text.".

superscript doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. 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 Middle French superscript, from Latin superscriptus (“written above”). By surface analysis, super- + script. The correct English form is superscript, spelled S-U-P-E-R-S-C-R-I-P-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of lettering form that appears as a number, figure, or symbol above the normal line of type, located at the right or left of another symbol or text.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. In x², the 2 written in superscript means “to the power of two”.

Etymology

From Middle French superscript, from Latin superscriptus (“written above”). By surface analysis, super- + script.

Antonyms

subscript

This word in other languages

superíndice(Español)exposant(Français)Exponent(Deutsch)sobrescrito(Português)

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 "superscript"?
"superscript" is spelled S-U-P-E-R-S-C-R-I-P-T.
What does "superscript" mean?
As a noun, "superscript" means: A type of lettering form that appears as a number, figure, or symbol above the normal line of type, located at the right or left of another symbol or text.
What is the origin of the word "superscript"?
From Middle French superscript, from Latin superscriptus (“written above”). By surface analysis, super- + script. 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 "superscript", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

suppressant#75,461Stourbridge#75,452telephoning#75,477shepherdess#75,406

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list