viscous

/ˈvɪs.kəs/

//ˈvɪs.kəs// adj

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

"viscous" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“viscous” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,400. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,400
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having a thick, sticky consistency between solid and liquid (that is, a high viscosity).

Corpus desk

Index EN-viscous · viscous · English

viscous · rank #31,400 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,400
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH vide

Nearest frequency peer: vide (-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 “viscous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “viscous” 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).

viscous vs visions
71% similar
viscous vs vicious
71% similar
viscous vs viscount
75% similar

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

Key facts for viscous
PropertyValue
Headwordviscous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈvɪs.kəs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#31,400
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “viscous”

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).viscouslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “vide” (#31,399), “vitally” (#31,401), “verifiable” (#31,398). Among 969 “V” headwords, “viscous” is #31,400. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around viscous (IPA /ˈvɪs.kəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #31,400 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for viscous, with forms such as "ivscous", "vicsous", and "visccous". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "visions", "vicious", "viscount", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1605. Borrowed from Middle French visqueux and Late Latin viscōsus, from Latin viscum (“birdlime”). Doublet of viscose. The correct English form is viscous, spelled V-I-S-C-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a thick, sticky consistency between solid and liquid (that is, a high viscosity).
  2. 2
    Of or pertaining to viscosity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] The flesh [of the mistletoe berry] is sticky, and forms strings and ribbons between my thumb and forefinger. For the mistletoe, this viscous goop – and by the way, viscous comes to English from viscum – is crucial. The stickiness means that, after eating the berries, birds often regurgitate the seeds and then wipe their bills on twigs – leading to the…
  2. viscous coefficient

Etymology

First attested in 1605. Borrowed from Middle French visqueux and Late Latin viscōsus, from Latin viscum (“birdlime”). Doublet of viscose.

Synonyms

lentousglutinousgooeyslabbystiffsyrupythickthickflowingtreaclyviscidviscoseviscous

Antonyms

runnyfluid

This word in other languages

viscoso(Español)visqueux(Français)zähflüssig(Deutsch)viscoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ivscous
  • vicsous
  • visccous
  • viscosu
  • viscouss
  • viscuos
  • visocus
  • visscous
  • vsicous
  • vviscous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of viscous - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ivscous2vicsous2visccous1viscosu2viscouss1viscuos2visocus2visscous1
Edit distance from "viscous"

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 "viscous"?
"viscous" is spelled V-I-S-C-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɪs.kəs/.
What does "viscous" mean?
As an adjective, "viscous" means: Having a thick, sticky consistency between solid and liquid (that is, a high viscosity).
What words are commonly confused with "viscous"?
"viscous" is commonly confused with "visions", "vicious", "viscount". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "viscous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "viscous" is /ˈvɪs.kəs/. 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 "viscous"?
First attested in 1605. Borrowed from Middle French visqueux and Late Latin viscōsus, from Latin viscum (“birdlime”). Doublet of viscose. 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 "viscous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

vitally#31,401whatcha#31,408workday#31,414typhoid#31,385

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

untapped10 variantsteeming10 variantssufferer10 variantssmurfs10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list