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anthology

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

9 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "anthology", 9-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "anthology" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "anthology" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

anthology is aEnglishnoun. It means: A collection of literary works, such as poems or short stories, especially a collection from various authors. Pronounced /ænˈθɒlədʒi/. Often confused with astrology.

Key facts for anthology
PropertyValue
Headwordanthology
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ænˈθɒlədʒi/
Letters9
Frequency rank#15,331
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of anthology in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for anthology is 9 letters long, classified as anoun, 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 Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 14 documented wrong-spelling variants for anthology, with forms such as "anhtology", "annthology", and "anthhology". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.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… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is anthology, spelled A-N-T-H-O-L-O-G-Y, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A collection of literary works, such as poems or short stories, especially a collection from various authors.
  2. 2
    A work or series containing various stories with no direct relation to one another.
  3. 3
    An assortment of things.
  4. 4
    The 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

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for anthology

Misspelling Variants of "anthology"

anhtology9annthology10anthhology10anthloogy9antholgoy9anthollogy10anthologgy10anthologyy10
Misspelling Variants of "anthology"

Frequency rank: #15,331 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "anthology"?
"anthology" is spelled A-N-T-H-O-L-O-G-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ænˈθɒlədʒi/.
What does "anthology" mean?
As a noun, "anthology" means: A collection of literary works, such as poems or short stories, especially a collection from various authors.
What words are commonly confused with "anthology"?
"anthology" is commonly confused with "astrology". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "anthology"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anthology" is /ænˈθɒlədʒi/. 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 "anthology"?
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, original... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter A in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.