anathema

/əˈnæθəmə/

//əˈnæθəmə// noun

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

"anathema" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anathema” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,317. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,317
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, often accompanied by excommunication; something denounced as accursed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anathema · anathema · English

anathema · rank #37,317 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,317
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH amma

Nearest frequency peer: amma (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “anathema”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “anathema” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

anathema vs anthem
75% similar
anathema vs anthems
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for anathema
PropertyValue
Headwordanathema
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈnæθəmə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#37,317
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “anathema”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).anathemalands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “amma” (#37,316), “amine” (#37,315), “allot” (#37,314). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “anathema” is #37,317. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around anathema (IPA /əˈnæθəmə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,317 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for anathema, with forms such as "aanthema", "anahtema", and "anatehma". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "anthem", "anthems", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Late Latin anathema (“curse, person cursed, offering”), itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀνάθεμα (anáthema, “something dedicated, especially dedicated to eternal damnation”), from ἀνατίθημι (anatíthēmi, “I set upon, offer as a votive gift… The correct English form is anathema, spelled A-N-A-T-H-E-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, often accompanied by excommunication; something denounced as accursed.
  2. 2
    Something which is vehemently disliked by somebody.
  3. 3
    An imprecation; a curse; a malediction.
  4. 4
    Any person or thing anathematized, or cursed by ecclesiastical authority to unending punishment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Even three years ago, the thought of spending two hours, let alone a whole day, without my mobile would have been anathema.
  2. The actor, who prizes mystery, hated being gossip fodder. “That was anathema to him,” said his sister Martha Fiennes, a filmmaker, “and he just hated the curiosity into his life.”

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin anathema (“curse, person cursed, offering”), itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀνάθεμα (anáthema, “something dedicated, especially dedicated to eternal damnation”), from ἀνατίθημι (anatíthēmi, “I set upon, offer as a votive gift”), from ἀνά (aná, “upon”) + τίθημι (títhēmi, “I put, place”). The Ancient Greek term was influenced by Hebrew חרם (herem), leading to the sense of "accursed," especially in Ecclesiastical writers.

This word in other languages

anatema(Español)anathème(Français)Kirchenbann(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aanthema
  • anahtema
  • anatehma
  • anatheam
  • anathemma
  • anathhema
  • anathmea
  • anatthema
  • annathema
  • antahema
  • naathema

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of anathema - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aanthema2anahtema2anatehma2anatheam2anathemma1anathhema1anathmea2anatthema1
Edit distance from "anathema"

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "anathema"?
"anathema" is spelled A-N-A-T-H-E-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈnæθəmə/.
What does "anathema" mean?
As a noun, "anathema" means: A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, often accompanied by excommunication; something denounced as accursed.
What words are commonly confused with "anathema"?
"anathema" is commonly confused with "anthem", "anthems". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "anathema"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anathema" is /əˈnæθəmə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "anathema"?
Borrowed from Late Latin anathema (“curse, person cursed, offering”), itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀνάθεμα (anáthema, “something dedicated, especially dedicated to eternal damnation”), from ἀνατίθημι (anatíthēmi, “I set upon, offer as a v... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "anathema", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Alcatraz#37,312Aurelius#37,327Abingdon#37,306Bosworth#37,349

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

callback11 variantsTylenol11 variantschested11 variantsthere're11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list