# heretic vs heretical

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### heretic
*noun · IPA /ˈhɛɹɪtɪk/ · frequency rank #28,948*
Someone whose beliefs are contrary to the fundamental tenets of a religion they claim to belong to.

### heretical
*adjective · IPA /həˈɹɛtɪkəl/ · frequency rank #34,917*
Of or pertaining to heresy or heretics.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heretic-vs-heretical