# syllabus

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsɪləbəs/ · frequency rank #18,710

## Definitions
1. A summary of topics which will be covered during an academic course, or a text or lecture.
2. The headnote of a reported case; the brief statement of the points of law determined prefixed to a reported case.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin syllabus (“list”), which arose as a misprint, its accusative plural syllabos appearing in place of sittybas in a 1470s edition of Cicero's “Ad Atticum” IV.5 and 8. The corrupt form was influenced by the stem of Ancient Greek συλλαμβάνω (sullambánō, “put together”), the source of σῠλλᾰβή (sŭllăbḗ, “syllable”); the true etymon is σιττύβα (sittúba, “parchment label, table of contents”) [or σιττύβας (sittúbas)] of unknown origin.

## Easily confused with
- **syllable** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/syllable-vs-syllabus)
- **syllables** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/syllables-vs-syllabus)

## Common misspellings (11)
`slylabus`, `ssyllabus`, `sylabus`, `sylalbus`, `syllabbus`, `syllabsu`, `syllabuss`, `syllaubs`, `syllbaus`, `syyllabus`, `ysllabus`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/syllabus