Hekatombe

[hekaˈtɔmbə]

/[hekaˈtɔmbə]/ noun

The verdict

“Hekatombe” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - bei den antiken Griechen ursprünglich ein Opfer von 100 Rindern, später allgemeine Bezeichnung für Tieropfer

Corpus desk

Index DE-hekatombe · Hekatombe · German

Hekatombe · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for Hekatombe
PropertyValue
HeadwordHekatombe
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[hekaˈtɔmbə]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Hekatombe“ im Deutschen

Hekatombeliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Hekatombe is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [hekaˈtɔmbə]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for Hekatombe, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Hekatombe, spelled H-E-K-A-T-O-M-B-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    bei den antiken Griechen ursprünglich ein Opfer von 100 Rindern, später allgemeine Bezeichnung für Tieropfer
  2. 2
    gewaltige Verluste an Menschen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. „Das hier beschriebene Opfer war allerdings eine herrliche Hekatombe, weil nach v. 6. 7. 81 Stiere zugleich geopfert wurden.“
  2. „Zwei Weltkriege haben uns Hekatomben von Toten mit erschütternden Menschenschicksalen gebracht […].“

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Hekatombe"?
"Hekatombe" is spelled H-E-K-A-T-O-M-B-E. The IPA pronunciation is [hekaˈtɔmbə].
What does "Hekatombe" mean?
As a noun, "Hekatombe" means: bei den antiken Griechen ursprünglich ein Opfer von 100 Rindern, später allgemeine Bezeichnung für Tieropfer
How do you pronounce "Hekatombe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Hekatombe" is [hekaˈtɔmbə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Hekatombe" come from?
"Hekatombe" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list