apostle

/əˈpɑsl̩/

//əˈpɑsl̩// noun

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

"apostle" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“apostle” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,749. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,749
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A missionary, or leader of a religious mission, especially one in the early Christian Church (but see Apostle).

Corpus desk

Index EN-apostle · apostle · English

apostle · rank #15,749 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #15,749
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH antibody

Nearest frequency peer: antibody (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “apostle”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

apostle vs apostate
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for apostle
PropertyValue
Headwordapostle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈpɑsl̩/
Letters7
Frequency rank#15,749
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “apostle”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).apostlelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “antibody” (#15,748), “appalling” (#15,750), “annoy” (#15,747). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “apostle” is #15,749. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around apostle (IPA /əˈpɑsl̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,749 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for apostle, with forms such as "aopstle", "aposlte", and "aposstle". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "apostate", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English apostle, from Old French apostle, from Late Latin apostolus, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos, “one sent forth, apostle”). Merged with Old English apostol, borrowing from the same Latin source. The correct English form is apostle, spelled A-P-O-S-T-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A missionary, or leader of a religious mission, especially one in the early Christian Church (but see Apostle).
  2. 2
    A pioneer or early advocate of a particular cause, prophet of a belief.
  3. 3
    A top-ranking ecclesiastical official in the twelve seat administrative council of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  4. 4
    A person who is plucked, that is, refused an academic degree.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. [W]e must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as the vanished bison and the dodo, but upon its own inferior races. The Tasmanians, in spite of their human likeness, were entirely swept out of existence in a war of extermination waged by European immigrants, in the space of fifty years. Are…

Etymology

From Middle English apostle, from Old French apostle, from Late Latin apostolus, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos, “one sent forth, apostle”). Merged with Old English apostol, borrowing from the same Latin source.

Synonyms

disciple

This word in other languages

apóstol(Español)apôtre(Français)Apostel(Deutsch)apóstolo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aopstle
  • aposlte
  • aposstle
  • apostel
  • apostlle
  • aposttle
  • apotsle
  • appostle
  • apsotle
  • paostle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of apostle - 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.

aopstle2aposlte2aposstle1apostel2apostlle1aposttle1apotsle2appostle1
Edit distance from "apostle"

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 "apostle"?
"apostle" is spelled A-P-O-S-T-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈpɑsl̩/.
What does "apostle" mean?
As a noun, "apostle" means: A missionary, or leader of a religious mission, especially one in the early Christian Church (but see Apostle).
What words are commonly confused with "apostle"?
"apostle" is commonly confused with "apostate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "apostle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "apostle" is /əˈpɑsl̩/. 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 "apostle"?
From Middle English apostle, from Old French apostle, from Late Latin apostolus, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos, “one sent forth, apostle”). Merged with Old English apostol, borrowing from the same Latin source. 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 "apostle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

applaud#15,751Anaheim#15,745Belarus#15,757bondage#15,759

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

appalling10 variantsafforded10 variantsboredom10 variantsbounced10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list