apocryphal

Name: apocryphal, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/əˈpɒkɹɪfəl/

//əˈpɒkɹɪfəl// adj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“apocryphal” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,508. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,508
frequency rank, English: 3,931
“A” headwords: 16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of, or pertaining to, the Apocrypha.

Corpus desk

Index EN-apocryphal · apocryphal · English

apocryphal · rank #43,508 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #43,508
LEN-MEGA 10 letters
VOW-4 4 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 16 variants
BOOK-MID 3,931
PHOTO-FINISH Annika

Nearest frequency peer: Annika (-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.

alopecia

56,498
Alzheimer

56,497
Annika

56,494
apocryphal

56,493
arguable

56,492
Arianna

56,491

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

Key facts for apocryphal
Property	Value
Headword	apocryphal
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/əˈpɒkɹɪfəl/
Letters	10
Frequency rank	#43,508
Misspellings tracked	16
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “apocryphal”

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).apocryphallands here:

#43,508

#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 “Annika” (#43,507), “arguable” (#43,509), “Arianna” (#43,510). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “apocryphal” is #43,508. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around apocryphal (IPA /əˈpɒkɹɪfəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #43,508 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for apocryphal, with forms such as "aopcryphal", "apcoryphal", and "apoccryphal". 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. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From apocrypha + -al. The correct English form is apocryphal, spelled A-P-O-C-R-Y-P-H-A-L.

Definition

1
Of, or pertaining to, the Apocrypha.
2
Of doubtful authenticity, or lacking authority; not regarded as canonical.
3
Of dubious veracity; of questionable accuracy or truthfulness; anecdotal or in the nature of an urban legend.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

[…] ‘Tobit and his dog baith are altogether heathenish and apocryphal, and none but a prelatist or a papist would draw them into question. I doubt I hae been mista'en in you, friend.’
Besides all this, he had read his Bible, including the apocryphal books; […]

Etymology

From apocrypha + -al.

This word in other languages

apócrifo(Español)apocryphe(Français)unecht(Deutsch)apócrifo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

aopcryphal
apcoryphal
apoccryphal
apocrpyhal
apocrryphal
apocryhpal
apocrypahl
apocryphall
apocryphhal
apocryphla
apocrypphal
apocryyphal
apocyrphal
aporcyphal
appocryphal
paocryphal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "apocryphal"

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 "apocryphal"?

"apocryphal" is spelled A-P-O-C-R-Y-P-H-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈpɒkɹɪfəl/.

What does "apocryphal" mean?

As an adjective, "apocryphal" means: Of, or pertaining to, the Apocrypha.

What are common misspellings of "apocryphal"?

Common misspellings include "aopcryphal", "apcoryphal", "apoccryphal", "apocrpyhal", "apocrryphal". The correct spelling is "apocryphal".

How do you pronounce "apocryphal"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "apocryphal" is /əˈpɒkɹɪfəl/. 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 "apocryphal"?

From apocrypha + -al. 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 "apocryphal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

alarmingly#43,500 beekeeping#43,522 Bennington#43,524 wirelessly#43,472

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

bisexuality16 variants strangeness16 variants enthralling16 variants equivalency16 variants