ubiquitin

/juːˈbɪkwɪtɪn/

//juːˈbɪkwɪtɪn// noun

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

The verdict

“ubiquitin” is uncommon English (frequency #67,914 among 23,789 “U” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,914
frequency rank, English
23,789
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of a class of small protein, or polypeptide, present in the cells of all eukaryotes, that play a part in modifying and degrading proteins.

Key facts for ubiquitin
PropertyValue
Headwordubiquitin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/juːˈbɪkwɪtɪn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#67,914
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ubiquitin” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ubiquitin is uncommon English at frequency #67,914 among 23,789 “U” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /juːˈbɪkwɪtɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any of a class of small protein, or polypeptide, present in the cells of all eukaryotes, that play a part in modifying and degrading proteins.".

ubiquitin has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ubiquitous + -in. The correct English form is ubiquitin, spelled U-B-I-Q-U-I-T-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of a class of small protein, or polypeptide, present in the cells of all eukaryotes, that play a part in modifying and degrading proteins.

Etymology

From ubiquitous + -in.

This word in other languages

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 "ubiquitin"?
"ubiquitin" is spelled U-B-I-Q-U-I-T-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /juːˈbɪkwɪtɪn/.
What does "ubiquitin" mean?
As a noun, "ubiquitin" means: Any of a class of small protein, or polypeptide, present in the cells of all eukaryotes, that play a part in modifying and degrading proteins.
How do you pronounce "ubiquitin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ubiquitin" is /juːˈbɪkwɪtɪn/. 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 "ubiquitin"?
From ubiquitous + -in. 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.

Using “ubiquitin”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is U-B-I-Q-U-I-T-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /juːˈbɪkwɪtɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list