Achilles heel
/əˌkɪl.iːz ˈhiːl/
"achilles-heel" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Achilles heel” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Achilles heel |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /əˌkɪl.iːz ˈhiːl/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Achilles heel” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
Achilles heel is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /əˌkɪl.iːz ˈhiːl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Achilles heel, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the Greek hero Achilles, whom according to legend his mother held by the heel when she dipped him in the River Styx, making him invulnerable everywhere except on his heel. He was later killed by an arrow wound to the heel. Although the legend is ancien… The correct English form is Achilles heel, spelled A-C-H-I-L-L-E-S- -H-E-E-L.
Definition
- 1A vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation.
- 2The Achilles tendon, the tendo Achillis.
Etymology
From the Greek hero Achilles, whom according to legend his mother held by the heel when she dipped him in the River Styx, making him invulnerable everywhere except on his heel. He was later killed by an arrow wound to the heel. Although the legend is ancient, the phrase only entered English in the 19th century. It is used as a metaphor for vulnerability, as in the earliest citation, an essay by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
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 "Achilles heel"?
What does "Achilles heel" mean?
How do you pronounce "Achilles heel"?
What is the origin of the word "Achilles heel"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Achilles heel”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-C-H-I-L-L-E-S- -H-E-E-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˌkɪl.iːz ˈhiːl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.