Paterfamilias

[paːtɐfaˈmiːli̯as]

/[paːtɐfaˈmiːli̯as]/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - männliche Person, die in einer Familie das Sagen hat

Corpus desk

Index DE-paterfamilias · Paterfamilias · German

Paterfamilias · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" 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 Paterfamilias
PropertyValue
HeadwordPaterfamilias
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[paːtɐfaˈmiːli̯as]
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Paterfamilias“ im Deutschen

Paterfamiliasliegt 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

Paterfamilias is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [paːtɐfaˈmiːli̯as]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "männliche Person, die in einer Familie das Sagen hat".

No misspelling variants are generated for Paterfamilias in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is Paterfamilias, spelled P-A-T-E-R-F-A-M-I-L-I-A-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    männliche Person, die in einer Familie das Sagen hat

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. „Umgeben von tollen Frauen – Géraldine Pailhas, Charlotte Rampling, Hanna Schygulla und allen voran Sophie Marceau – lauert in der Mitte, wie eine misslaunige alte Spinne, der Paterfamilias, gespielt von André Dussollier.“

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 "Paterfamilias"?
"Paterfamilias" is spelled P-A-T-E-R-F-A-M-I-L-I-A-S. The IPA pronunciation is [paːtɐfaˈmiːli̯as].
What does "Paterfamilias" mean?
As a noun, "Paterfamilias" means: männliche Person, die in einer Familie das Sagen hat
How do you pronounce "Paterfamilias"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Paterfamilias" is [paːtɐfaˈmiːli̯as]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Paterfamilias" come from?
"Paterfamilias" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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