swastika

/ˈswɒstɪkə/

//ˈswɒstɪkə// noun

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

"swastika" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“swastika” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,250. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,250
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle to the right or to the left, used as a religious symbol by various ancient and modern civilizations, but now mainly seen and ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-swastika · swastika · English

swastika · rank #30,250 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,250
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH symbolically

Nearest frequency peer: symbolically (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “swastika”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for swastika
PropertyValue
Headwordswastika
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈswɒstɪkə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#30,250
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “swastika”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).swastikalands here:

#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 “symbolically” (#30,251), “suh” (#30,248), “stunted” (#30,247). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “swastika” is #30,250. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around swastika (IPA /ˈswɒstɪkə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,250 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for swastika, with forms such as "sawstika", "sswastika", and "swasitka". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Sanskrit स्वस्तिक (svastika), from सु- (su-, “good, well”) + अस्ति (asti), a verbal abstract of the root of the verb "to be", स्वस्ति (svasti) thus meaning "well-being" — and the diminutive suffix क (ka); hence "little thing associate… The correct English form is swastika, spelled S-W-A-S-T-I-K-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle to the right or to the left, used as a religious symbol by various ancient and modern civilizations, but now mainly seen and used in the West (with arms angled to the right) as a symbol of Nazism and fascism.
  2. 2
    Nazi rule.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This was signed by Dana Da, who added pentacles and pentagrams, and a crux ansata, and half-a-dozen swastikas, and a Triple Tau to his name, just to show that he was all he laid claim to be.
  2. It is clear from archaeological finds that they enjoyed wearing Christian crosses, though they might enliven these with such symbols as the Indian swastika which Buddhists had brought them.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit स्वस्तिक (svastika), from सु- (su-, “good, well”) + अस्ति (asti), a verbal abstract of the root of the verb "to be", स्वस्ति (svasti) thus meaning "well-being" — and the diminutive suffix क (ka); hence "little thing associated with well-being", corresponding roughly to "lucky charm". First attestation in English in 1871, a Sanskritism that replaced the Grecian term gammadion. From 1932 onwards it often referred specifically to the version used by the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (also called the "hooked cross", or German Hakenkreuz).

Synonyms

Black Spidercrooked crosscross cramponnedcross cramponnéecross cramponnycross gammadiongammadiongammationfylfothakenkreuzhooked crosslauburumanjisauwastikasauvastikasun wheeltetraskelionthunder crosstwisted cross

This word in other languages

esvástica(Español)svastika(Français)Hakenkreuz(Deutsch)suástica(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sawstika
  • sswastika
  • swasitka
  • swasstika
  • swastiak
  • swastikka
  • swastkia
  • swasttika
  • swatsika
  • swsatika
  • swwastika
  • wsastika

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sawstika2sswastika1swasitka2swasstika1swastiak2swastikka1swastkia2swasttika1
Edit distance from "swastika"

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 "swastika"?
"swastika" is spelled S-W-A-S-T-I-K-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈswɒstɪkə/.
What does "swastika" mean?
As a noun, "swastika" means: A cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle to the right or to the left, used as a religious symbol by various ancient and modern civilizations, but now mainly seen and ...
What are common misspellings of "swastika"?
Common misspellings include "sawstika", "sswastika", "swasitka", "swasstika", "swastiak". The correct spelling is "swastika".
How do you pronounce "swastika"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "swastika" is /ˈswɒstɪkə/. 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 "swastika"?
Learned borrowing from Sanskrit स्वस्तिक (svastika), from सु- (su-, “good, well”) + अस्ति (asti), a verbal abstract of the root of the verb "to be", स्वस्ति (svasti) thus meaning "well-being" — and the diminutive suffix क (ka); hence "little thing... 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 "swastika", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

teleport#30,255stifling#30,244totalled#30,262trombone#30,263

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

sociable12 variantsunusable12 variantsWellesley12 variantsreceding12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list