anthropomorphism

/ˌænθɹəpəˈmɔɹfɪzəm/

//ˌænθɹəpəˈmɔɹfɪzəm// noun

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

"anthropomorphism" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anthropomorphism” is uncommon English (frequency #91,233 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,233
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The attribution of human characteristics and behavior to something nonhuman.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anthropomorphism · anthropomorphism · English

anthropomorphism · rank #91,233 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #91,233
  • LEN-MEGA 16 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH anthropometric

Nearest frequency peer: anthropometric (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “anthropomorphism”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “anthropomorphism” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for anthropomorphism
PropertyValue
Headwordanthropomorphism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌænθɹəpəˈmɔɹfɪzəm/
Letters16
Frequency rank#91,233
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “anthropomorphism” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).anthropomorphismfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “anthropometric” (#91,232), “appetising” (#91,237), “Anelka” (#91,228). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “anthropomorphism” is #91,233. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

anthropomorphism is uncommon English at frequency #91,233 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌænθɹəpəˈmɔɹfɪzəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for anthropomorphism, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Coined in the mid-1700s. From Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “man, human”) and μορφή (morphḗ, “form, shape”). By surface analysis, anthropo- + -morphism. The correct English form is anthropomorphism, spelled A-N-T-H-R-O-P-O-M-O-R-P-H-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The attribution of human characteristics and behavior to something nonhuman.
  2. 2
    The attribution of human characteristics to divine entities.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Literature is full of examples of anthropomorphism, especially in children’s stories, from The Wind in the Willows to Watership Down.

Etymology

Coined in the mid-1700s. From Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “man, human”) and μορφή (morphḗ, “form, shape”). By surface analysis, anthropo- + -morphism.

Antonyms

dehumanization

This word in other languages

antropomorfismo(Español)anthropomorphisme(Français)Anthropomorphismus(Deutsch)

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 "anthropomorphism"?
"anthropomorphism" is spelled A-N-T-H-R-O-P-O-M-O-R-P-H-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌænθɹəpəˈmɔɹfɪzəm/.
What does "anthropomorphism" mean?
As a noun, "anthropomorphism" means: The attribution of human characteristics and behavior to something nonhuman.
How do you pronounce "anthropomorphism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anthropomorphism" is /ˌænθɹəpəˈmɔɹfɪzəm/. 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 "anthropomorphism"?
Coined in the mid-1700s. From Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “man, human”) and μορφή (morphḗ, “form, shape”). By surface analysis, anthropo- + -morphism. 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 "anthropomorphism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 16 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

psychoanalytical#90,865programmatically#90,863photographically#90,839methodologically#91,799

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list