anthology
/ænˈθɒlədʒi/
"anthology" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“anthology” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,331 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #15,331
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A collection of literary works, such as poems or short stories, especially a collection from various authors.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | anthology |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ænˈθɒlədʒi/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #15,331 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “anthology” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for anthology is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ænˈθɒlədʒi/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,331 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for anthology, with forms such as "anhtology", "annthology", and "anthhology". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "astrology", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀνθολογία (anthología, “flower-gathering”), from ἀνθολογέω (anthologéō, “I gather flowers”), from ἄνθος (ánthos, “flower”) + λέγω (légō, “I gather, pick up, collect”), coined by Meleager of Gadara circa 60 BCE, originally as Στέφ… The correct English form is anthology, spelled A-N-T-H-O-L-O-G-Y.
Definition
- 1A collection of literary works, such as poems or short stories, especially a collection from various authors.
- 2A work or series containing various stories with no direct relation to one another.
- 3An assortment of things.
- 4The study of flowers.
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀνθολογία (anthología, “flower-gathering”), from ἀνθολογέω (anthologéō, “I gather flowers”), from ἄνθος (ánthos, “flower”) + λέγω (légō, “I gather, pick up, collect”), coined by Meleager of Gadara circa 60 BCE, originally as Στέφανος (στέφανος (stéphanos, “garland”)) to describe a collection of poetry, later retitled anthology – see Greek Anthology. Anthologiai were collections of small Greek poems and epigrams, because in Greek culture the flower symbolized the finer sentiments that only poetry can express. By surface analysis, antho- + -logy.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: anhtology,annthology,anthhology,anthloogy,antholgoy,anthollogy,anthologgy,anthologyy,antholoyg,anthoolgy,antohlogy,antthology,atnhology,nathology
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of anthology - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "anthology"?
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Using “anthology”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-N-T-H-O-L-O-G-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ænˈθɒlədʒi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “astrology” - see the side-by-side comparison. anthology vs astrology
- 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.