syllogism

/ˈsɪlədʒɪz(ə)m/

//ˈsɪlədʒɪz(ə)m// noun

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

"syllogism" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“syllogism” is uncommon English (frequency #82,831 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,831
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An argument whose conclusion is supported by two premises, of which one contains the term that is the predicate of the conclusion, and the other contains the term that is the subject of the conclus...

Corpus desk

Index EN-syllogism · syllogism · English

syllogism · rank #82,831 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #82,831
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sysadmin

Nearest frequency peer: sysadmin (+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 “syllogism”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for syllogism
PropertyValue
Headwordsyllogism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪlədʒɪz(ə)m/
Letters9
Frequency rank#82,831
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “syllogism” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).syllogismfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “sysadmin” (#82,832), “taba” (#82,834), “sunstroke” (#82,825). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “syllogism” is #82,831. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

syllogism is uncommon English at frequency #82,831 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɪlədʒɪz(ə)m/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

syllogism has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French silogisme (“syllogism”), from Latin syllogismus, from Ancient Greek συλλογισμός (sullogismós, “inference, conclusion”). Doublet of syllogismus. The correct English form is syllogism, spelled S-Y-L-L-O-G-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    An argument whose conclusion is supported by two premises, of which one contains the term that is the predicate of the conclusion, and the other contains the term that is the subject of the conclusion; common to both premises is a term that is excluded from the conclusion.
  2. 2
    A trick, artifice; an extremely subtle, sophisticated, or deceptive argument; a sophism.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Ever since Aristotle, syllogism has occupied a central place in logic and cast a fateful shadow upon the power of reason. Recognized to be the great conveyor of rationality, allowing reason to reach conclusions of unparalleled universality and necessity, syllogism has equally been acknowledged to be beset by limits.

Etymology

From Old French silogisme (“syllogism”), from Latin syllogismus, from Ancient Greek συλλογισμός (sullogismós, “inference, conclusion”). Doublet of syllogismus.

This word in other languages

silogismo(Español)syllogisme(Français)Syllogismus(Deutsch)

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 "syllogism"?
"syllogism" is spelled S-Y-L-L-O-G-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪlədʒɪz(ə)m/.
What does "syllogism" mean?
As a noun, "syllogism" means: An argument whose conclusion is supported by two premises, of which one contains the term that is the predicate of the conclusion, and the other contains the term that is the subject of the conclus...
How do you pronounce "syllogism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "syllogism" is /ˈsɪlədʒɪz(ə)m/. 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 "syllogism"?
From Old French silogisme (“syllogism”), from Latin syllogismus, from Ancient Greek συλλογισμός (sullogismós, “inference, conclusion”). Doublet of syllogismus. 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 "syllogism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sunstroke#82,825summative#82,822terrorise#82,849tretinoin#82,867

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list