vaseline

/ˈvæ.sə.liːn/

//ˈvæ.sə.liːn// noun

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

"vaseline" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vaseline” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,230. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,230
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Petroleum jelly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vaseline · vaseline · English

vaseline · rank #38,230 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,230
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH varna

Nearest frequency peer: varna (-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 “vaseline”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “vaseline” 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 vaseline
PropertyValue
Headwordvaseline
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvæ.sə.liːn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#38,230
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “vaseline”

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).vaselinelands 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 “varna” (#38,229), “Vanuatu” (#38,228), “vamos” (#38,227). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vaseline” is #38,230. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around vaseline (IPA /ˈvæ.sə.liːn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #38,230 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for vaseline, with forms such as "avseline", "vaesline", and "vaseilne". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ Proto-Germanic *watōr Proto-West Germanic *watar Old High German waȥȥar Middle High German wazzer German Wasser Proto-Hellenic *élaiwon Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion… The correct English form is vaseline, spelled V-A-S-E-L-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Petroleum jelly.
  2. 2
    Any particular kind of petroleum jelly or of any similar lubricant.
  3. 3
    Ellipsis of Vaseline glass, or the coloring used in making it.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Hearts of putty, hearts of vaseline...
  2. A Russian vaseline has been lately added to the many kinds of vaseline found in […]

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ Proto-Germanic *watōr Proto-West Germanic *watar Old High German waȥȥar Middle High German wazzer German Wasser Proto-Hellenic *élaiwon Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion) English -ine English vaseline From German Wasser (“water”) + Ancient Greek ἔλαιον (élaion, “oil”) + -ine. Genericized trademark of the Vaseline brand of petroleum jelly introduced by American chemist Q358079 in 1872.

Synonyms

E905b when used as a food additive

This word in other languages

vaseline(Français)Vaseline(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • avseline
  • vaesline
  • vaseilne
  • vaselien
  • vaselinne
  • vaselline
  • vaselnie
  • vasleine
  • vasseline
  • vsaeline
  • vvaseline

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

avseline2vaesline2vaseilne2vaselien2vaselinne1vaselline1vaselnie2vasleine2
Edit distance from "vaseline"

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 "vaseline"?
"vaseline" is spelled V-A-S-E-L-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvæ.sə.liːn/.
What does "vaseline" mean?
As a noun, "vaseline" means: Petroleum jelly.
What are common misspellings of "vaseline"?
Common misspellings include "avseline", "vaesline", "vaseilne", "vaselien", "vaselinne". The correct spelling is "vaseline".
How do you pronounce "vaseline"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vaseline" is /ˈvæ.sə.liːn/. 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 "vaseline"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ Proto-Germanic *watōr Proto-West Germanic *watar Old High German waȥȥar Middle High German wazzer German Wasser Proto-Hellenic *élaiwon Ancient Greek ἔλαι... 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 "vaseline", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

vagabond#38,226writhing#38,249ablation#38,260tenderly#38,199

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Woodville11 variantsactuator11 variantsspiking11 variantsBalinese11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list