windowsill

/ˈwɪndəʊˌsɪl/

//ˈwɪndəʊˌsɪl// noun

"windowsill" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“windowsill” is uncommon English (frequency #52,722 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,722
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The horizontal member protruding from the base of a window frame.

Corpus desk

Index EN-windowsill · windowsill · English

windowsill · rank #52,722 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,722
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH wifes

Nearest frequency peer: wifes (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “windowsill”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “windowsill” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for windowsill
PropertyValue
Headwordwindowsill
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɪndəʊˌsɪl/
Letters10
Frequency rank#52,722
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “windowsill” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “wifes” (#52,721), “wining” (#52,723), “wiry” (#52,724). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “windowsill” is #52,722. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

windowsill is uncommon English at frequency #52,722 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈwɪndəʊˌsɪl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The horizontal member protruding from the base of a window frame.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for windowsill in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From window + sill. The correct English form is windowsill, spelled W-I-N-D-O-W-S-I-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    The horizontal member protruding from the base of a window frame.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. An upscale version of this tried and true method of providing windowsill humidity is the use of plastic 'egg crating' instead of gravel.
  2. You could tell summer was coming because people were drinking on the street, searching for spaces on the windowsills of the pub to balance their beerglasses.

Etymology

From window + sill.

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 "windowsill"?
"windowsill" is spelled W-I-N-D-O-W-S-I-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪndəʊˌsɪl/.
What does "windowsill" mean?
As a noun, "windowsill" means: The horizontal member protruding from the base of a window frame.
How do you pronounce "windowsill"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "windowsill" is /ˈwɪndəʊˌsɪl/. 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 "windowsill"?
From window + sill. 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 "windowsill", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list