ulcer

/ˈʌlsə/

//ˈʌlsə// noun

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

"ulcer" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ulcer” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,066. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,066
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An open sore of the skin, eyes or mucous membrane, often caused by an initial abrasion and generally maintained by an inflammation and/or an infection.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ulcer · ulcer · English

ulcer · rank #28,066 · 7 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,066
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH twig

Nearest frequency peer: twig (-2 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 “ulcer”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ulcer” 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).

ulcer vs user
60% similar
ulcer vs under
60% similar
ulcer vs upper
60% similar

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

Key facts for ulcer
PropertyValue
Headwordulcer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʌlsə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#28,066
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ulcer”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).ulcerlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “twig” (#28,064), “unconfirmed” (#28,068), “trusty” (#28,063). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “ulcer” is #28,066. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around ulcer (IPA /ˈʌlsə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,066 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for ulcer, with forms such as "lucer", "ucler", and "ulccer". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "user", "under", "upper", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French ulcere, from Latin ulcus. Doublet of ulcus. The correct English form is ulcer, spelled U-L-C-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An open sore of the skin, eyes or mucous membrane, often caused by an initial abrasion and generally maintained by an inflammation and/or an infection.
  2. 2
    Peptic ulcer.
  3. 3
    Anything that festers and corrupts like an open sore; a vice in character.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. "Worry never solved any problems. Only gives you ulcers."

Etymology

From Old French ulcere, from Latin ulcus. Doublet of ulcus.

This word in other languages

llaga(Español)ulcère(Français)Geschwür(Deutsch)úlcera(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lucer
  • ucler
  • ulccer
  • ulcerr
  • ulcre
  • ulecr
  • ullcer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ulcer - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

lucer2ucler2ulccer1ulcerr1ulcre2ulecr2ullcer1
Edit distance from "ulcer"

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 "ulcer"?
"ulcer" is spelled U-L-C-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʌlsə/.
What does "ulcer" mean?
As a noun, "ulcer" means: An open sore of the skin, eyes or mucous membrane, often caused by an initial abrasion and generally maintained by an inflammation and/or an infection.
What words are commonly confused with "ulcer"?
"ulcer" is commonly confused with "user", "under", "upper". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ulcer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ulcer" is /ˈʌlsə/. 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 "ulcer"?
From Old French ulcere, from Latin ulcus. Doublet of ulcus. 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 "ulcer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

vigor#28,079ya'll#28,092Aisha#28,106axiom#28,121

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Welles7 variantsSimeon7 variantsscion7 variantsSaban7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list