vacuum

/ˈvæ.kjuːm/

//ˈvæ.kjuːm// noun

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

"vacuum" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vacuum” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,197. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,197
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A region of space that contains no matter.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vacuum · vacuum · English

vacuum · rank #6,197 · 8 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,197
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH variations

Nearest frequency peer: variations (+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 “vacuum”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “vacuum” 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).

vacuum vs Valium
50% similar

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

Key facts for vacuum
PropertyValue
Headwordvacuum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvæ.kjuːm/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,197
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “vacuum”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).vacuumlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “variations” (#6,198), “vi” (#6,199), “Todd” (#6,194). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vacuum” is #6,197. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around vacuum (IPA /ˈvæ.kjuːm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,197 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for vacuum, with forms such as "avcuum", "vaccuum", and "vacum". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Valium", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from New Latin vacuum (“vacuum”), a subsense of Classical Latin vacuum (“empty space”), a substantivised form of vacuus (“empty”); related to vacāre (“to be empty”). The exercise sense comes from analogy to the sucking action of a vacuum cleaner. The correct English form is vacuum, spelled V-A-C-U-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A region of space that contains no matter.
  2. 2
    The condition of rarefaction, or reduction of pressure below that of the atmosphere, in a vessel, such as the condenser of a steam engine, which is nearly exhausted of air or steam, etc.
  3. 3
    Ellipsis of vacuum cleaner.
  4. 4
    A spacetime having tensors of zero magnitude.
  5. 5
    A ground state of a quantum field or of local spacetime, or more abstractly the lowest-energy state of a system.
  6. 6
    A ground state of a quantum field or of local spacetime, or more abstractly the lowest-energy state of a system.
  7. 7
    An emptiness in life created by a loss of a person who was close, or of an occupation.
  8. 8
    An exercise in which one draws their abdomen towards the spine.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Wards are open-topped, with skyscrapers rising from the superstructure. Towers are sealed against vacuum, as the breathable atmosphere envelope is only maintained to a height of about seven meters. The atmosphere is contained by the centrifugal force of rotation and a "membrane" of dense, colorless sulphur hexafluoride gas, held in place by carefully…
  2. a vacuum of 26 inches of mercury, or 13 pounds per square inch

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin vacuum (“vacuum”), a subsense of Classical Latin vacuum (“empty space”), a substantivised form of vacuus (“empty”); related to vacāre (“to be empty”). The exercise sense comes from analogy to the sucking action of a vacuum cleaner.

Synonyms

vacuum state

This word in other languages

vacío(Español)vide(Français)Vakuum(Deutsch)vácuo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • avcuum
  • vaccuum
  • vacum
  • vacumu
  • vacuumm
  • vaucum
  • vcauum
  • vvacuum

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

avcuum2vaccuum1vacum1vacumu2vacuumm1vaucum2vcauum2vvacuum1
Edit distance from "vacuum"

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 "vacuum"?
"vacuum" is spelled V-A-C-U-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvæ.kjuːm/.
What does "vacuum" mean?
As a noun, "vacuum" means: A region of space that contains no matter.
What words are commonly confused with "vacuum"?
"vacuum" is commonly confused with "Valium". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vacuum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vacuum" is /ˈvæ.kjuːm/. 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 "vacuum"?
Borrowed from New Latin vacuum (“vacuum”), a subsense of Classical Latin vacuum (“empty space”), a substantivised form of vacuus (“empty”); related to vacāre (“to be empty”). The exercise sense comes from analogy to the sucking action of a vacuum ... 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 "vacuum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tender#6,192agrees#6,205statue#6,186roster#6,176

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

approve8 variantssmash8 variantschick8 variantsindoor8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list