Philister

[fiˈlɪstɐ]

/[fiˈlɪstɐ]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Philister” is uncommon German (frequency #78,398 among 49,534 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,398
frequency rank, German
49,534
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - kleinlicher Mensch

Key facts for Philister
PropertyValue
HeadwordPhilister
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[fiˈlɪstɐ]
Letters9
Frequency rank#78,398
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Philister” sits in German frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Philister is uncommon German at frequency #78,398 among 49,534 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [fiˈlɪstɐ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for Philister in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Philister, spelled P-H-I-L-I-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    kleinlicher Mensch
  2. 2
    nichtstudierte Person, Nichtakademiker
  3. 3
    historisches Nachbarvolk der Israeliten

Synonyms

Spießbürger

This word in other languages

philistine(English)philistin(Français)

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 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Philister"?
"Philister" is spelled P-H-I-L-I-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is [fiˈlɪstɐ].
What does "Philister" mean?
As a noun, "Philister" means: kleinlicher Mensch
How do you pronounce "Philister"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Philister" is [fiˈlɪstɐ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Philister" come from?
"Philister" 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.

Using “Philister”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is P-H-I-L-I-S-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [fiˈlɪstɐ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list