symbolism

/ˈsɪmbəˌlɪzəm/

//ˈsɪmbəˌlɪzəm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“symbolism” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,929. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,929
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Representation of a concept through symbols or underlying meanings of objects or qualities.

Corpus desk

Index EN-symbolism · symbolism · English

symbolism · rank #15,929 · 15 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,929
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH swine

Nearest frequency peer: swine (-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 “symbolism”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “symbolism” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

symbolism vs symbols
78% similar
symbolism vs symbolize
78% similar
symbolism vs symbolic
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for symbolism
PropertyValue
Headwordsymbolism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪmbəˌlɪzəm/
Letters9
Frequency rank#15,929
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “symbolism”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “swine” (#15,928), “tangled” (#15,930), “SWAT” (#15,927). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “symbolism” is #15,929. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around symbolism (IPA /ˈsɪmbəˌlɪzəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,929 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for symbolism, with forms such as "smybolism", "ssymbolism", and "sybmolism". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "symbols", "symbolize", "symbolic", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From symbol + -ism, sense 2 being a semantic loan from French symbolisme. The correct English form is symbolism, spelled S-Y-M-B-O-L-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Representation of a concept through symbols or underlying meanings of objects or qualities.
  2. 2
    An art movement originating in late 19th-century France and Belgium, seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realism.
  3. 3
    A combining together of parts or ingredients.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The undeveloped or mysterically confused thought which exists in savages is fully exemplified in the childish or crazy atavistic anthropomorphism and symbolism so prevalent among degenerates.
  2. The cross-fertilization of Elizabethan drama with French symbolism gave rise to the "Princess Maleine", a new species if there ever was one, Shakespearean in form and incident, most un-Shakespearean in everything else.

Etymology

From symbol + -ism, sense 2 being a semantic loan from French symbolisme.

This word in other languages

symbolisme(Français)Symbolik(Deutsch)simbolismo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • smybolism
  • ssymbolism
  • sybmolism
  • symbbolism
  • symbloism
  • symboilsm
  • symbolims
  • symbolismm
  • symbolissm
  • symbollism
  • symbolsim
  • symmbolism
  • symoblism
  • syymbolism
  • ysmbolism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

smybolism2ssymbolism1sybmolism2symbbolism1symbloism2symboilsm2symbolims2symbolismm1
Edit distance from "symbolism"

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 "symbolism"?
"symbolism" is spelled S-Y-M-B-O-L-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪmbəˌlɪzəm/.
What does "symbolism" mean?
As a noun, "symbolism" means: Representation of a concept through symbols or underlying meanings of objects or qualities.
What words are commonly confused with "symbolism"?
"symbolism" is commonly confused with "symbols", "symbolize", "symbolic". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "symbolism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "symbolism" is /ˈsɪmbəˌlɪzəm/. 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 "symbolism"?
From symbol + -ism, sense 2 being a semantic loan from French symbolisme. 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 "symbolism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

surrounds#15,926underwood#15,935statesman#15,921standings#15,920

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

alcoholism15 variantsastounding15 variantspostseason15 variantschecklist15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list