apoplexy

/ˈæp.ə.plɛk.si/

//ˈæp.ə.plɛk.si// noun

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

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

The verdict

“apoplexy” is uncommon English (frequency #73,865 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,865
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unconsciousness or incapacity resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke.

Corpus desk

Index EN-apoplexy · apoplexy · English

apoplexy · rank #73,865 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,865
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Apia

Nearest frequency peer: Apia (-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 “apoplexy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for apoplexy
PropertyValue
Headwordapoplexy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæp.ə.plɛk.si/
Letters8
Frequency rank#73,865
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “apoplexy” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).apoplexyfalls 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: “Apia” (#73,864), “aright” (#73,866), “aphis” (#73,863). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “apoplexy” is #73,865. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

apoplexy is uncommon English at frequency #73,865 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈæp.ə.plɛk.si/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for apoplexy, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Late Middle English from Old French apoplexie, from Late Latin apoplexia, from Ancient Greek ἀποπληξία (apoplēxía, “madness; apoplexy, paralysis”), from ἀποπλήσσω (apoplḗssō, “to cripple by a stroke”) + -ία (-ía, nominal suffix). See plague. The correct English form is apoplexy, spelled A-P-O-P-L-E-X-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unconsciousness or incapacity resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke.
  2. 2
    Unconsciousness or incapacity resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke.
  3. 3
    A state of intense and almost uncontrollable anger.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Ten Straight White Males die of a mysterious disease and the nation has apoplexy — Headlines — TV Reports — Sympathy. MONEY comes pouring in and there was no discussion about where to find it.

Etymology

Late Middle English from Old French apoplexie, from Late Latin apoplexia, from Ancient Greek ἀποπληξία (apoplēxía, “madness; apoplexy, paralysis”), from ἀποπλήσσω (apoplḗssō, “to cripple by a stroke”) + -ία (-ía, nominal suffix). See plague.

This word in other languages

apoplejía(Español)apoplexie(Français)Apoplexia(Deutsch)apoplexia(Português)

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 "apoplexy"?
"apoplexy" is spelled A-P-O-P-L-E-X-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæp.ə.plɛk.si/.
What does "apoplexy" mean?
As a noun, "apoplexy" means: Unconsciousness or incapacity resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke.
How do you pronounce "apoplexy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "apoplexy" is /ˈæp.ə.plɛk.si/. 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 "apoplexy"?
Late Middle English from Old French apoplexie, from Late Latin apoplexia, from Ancient Greek ἀποπληξία (apoplēxía, “madness; apoplexy, paralysis”), from ἀποπλήσσω (apoplḗssō, “to cripple by a stroke”) + -ία (-ía, nominal suffix). See plague. 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 "apoplexy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

anthemic#73,860anagrams#73,857aversive#73,878afrobeat#73,845

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list