symposium

/sɪmˈpəʊziəm/

//sɪmˈpəʊziəm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“symposium” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,871. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,871
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A conference or other meeting for discussion of a topic, especially one in which the participants make presentations.

Corpus desk

Index EN-symposium · symposium · English

symposium · rank #12,871 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,871
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH SUV

Nearest frequency peer: SUV (-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 “symposium”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “symposium” 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 symposium
PropertyValue
Headwordsymposium
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɪmˈpəʊziəm/
Letters9
Frequency rank#12,871
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “symposium”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “SUV” (#12,870), “suicidal” (#12,869), “tailor” (#12,873). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “symposium” is #12,871. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around symposium (IPA /sɪmˈpəʊziəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,871 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for symposium, with forms such as "smyposium", "ssymposium", and "symmposium". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin symposium, from Ancient Greek συμπόσιον (sumpósion, “drinking party”) from συμπίνω (sumpínō, “drink together”) συν- (sun-, “together-”) + πίνω (pínō, “drink”). The correct English form is symposium, spelled S-Y-M-P-O-S-I-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A conference or other meeting for discussion of a topic, especially one in which the participants make presentations.
  2. 2
    A drinking party in Ancient Greece, especially one with intellectual discussion.
  3. 3
    A collection of essays, articles or papers on a particular subject by a number of contributors.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. THE CONCISE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF WORLD RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVES. Edited by P. Ransome-Wallis. Hutchinson. 50s. [...] The work is a symposium by writers who are mostly specialists in the topics about which they write.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin symposium, from Ancient Greek συμπόσιον (sumpósion, “drinking party”) from συμπίνω (sumpínō, “drink together”) συν- (sun-, “together-”) + πίνω (pínō, “drink”).

This word in other languages

simposio(Español)symposium(Français)Symposium(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • smyposium
  • ssymposium
  • symmposium
  • symopsium
  • sympoisum
  • symposimu
  • symposiumm
  • sympossium
  • symposuim
  • sympposium
  • sympsoium
  • sypmosium
  • syymposium
  • ysmposium

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of symposium - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

smyposium2ssymposium1symmposium1symopsium2sympoisum2symposimu2symposiumm1sympossium1
Edit distance from "symposium"

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 "symposium"?
"symposium" is spelled S-Y-M-P-O-S-I-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /sɪmˈpəʊziəm/.
What does "symposium" mean?
As a noun, "symposium" means: A conference or other meeting for discussion of a topic, especially one in which the participants make presentations.
What are common misspellings of "symposium"?
Common misspellings include "smyposium", "ssymposium", "symmposium", "symopsium", "sympoisum". The correct spelling is "symposium".
How do you pronounce "symposium"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "symposium" is /sɪmˈpəʊziəm/. 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 "symposium"?
Borrowed from Latin symposium, from Ancient Greek συμπόσιον (sumpósion, “drinking party”) from συμπίνω (sumpínō, “drink together”) συν- (sun-, “together-”) + πίνω (pínō, “drink”). 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 "symposium", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

thrilling#12,875spectacle#12,866Tottenham#12,876simulator#12,858

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

Wimbledon14 variantsbackstage14 variantsoverthrow14 variantsbrutality14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list