apotheosis

/əˌpɒθ.iːˈəʊ.sɪs/

//əˌpɒθ.iːˈəʊ.sɪs// noun

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

"apotheosis" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“apotheosis” is an uncommon English word, ranked #57,217 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#57,217
frequency rank, English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The fact or action of becoming or making into a god; deification.

Key facts for apotheosis
PropertyValue
Headwordapotheosis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˌpɒθ.iːˈəʊ.sɪs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#57,217
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “apotheosis” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for apotheosis is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˌpɒθ.iːˈəʊ.sɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #57,217 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for apotheosis, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Hellenic *apó Ancient Greek ᾰ̓πό (ăpó) Ancient Greek ἀπο- (apo-) Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s Proto-Hellenic *tʰehós Ancient Greek θεός (theós) Proto-Indo-Eur… The correct English form is apotheosis, spelled A-P-O-T-H-E-O-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The fact or action of becoming or making into a god; deification.
  2. 2
    Glorification, exaltation; crediting someone or something with extraordinary power or status.
  3. 3
    A glorified example or ideal; the apex or pinnacle (of a concept or belief).
  4. 4
    The best moment or highest point in the development of something, for example of a life or career; the apex, culmination, or climax (of a development).
  5. 5
    Release from earthly life, ascension to heaven; death.
  6. 6
    The latent entity that mediates between a person's psyche and their thoughts. The id, ego and superego in Freudian Psychology are examples of this.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Hellenic *apó Ancient Greek ᾰ̓πό (ăpó) Ancient Greek ἀπο- (apo-) Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s Proto-Hellenic *tʰehós Ancient Greek θεός (theós) Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-oyétider.? Ancient Greek -όω (-óō) Ancient Greek ἀποθεόω (apotheóō) Proto-Indo-European *-tis Ancient Greek -τις (-tis) Ancient Greek -σῐς (-sĭs) Ancient Greek ἀποθέωσις (apothéōsis)bor. Latin apotheōsisbor. English apotheosis Borrowed from Latin apotheōsis, from Ancient Greek ἀποθέωσις (apothéōsis), from verb ἀποθεόω (apotheóō, “deify”) (factitive verb formed from θεός (theós, “God”) with intensive prefix ἀπο- (apo-)) + -σις (-sis, “forms noun of action”). By surface analysis, apo- + theo- + -sis.

This word in other languages

apoteosis(Español)apothéose(Français)Apotheose(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 "apotheosis"?
"apotheosis" is spelled A-P-O-T-H-E-O-S-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /əˌpɒθ.iːˈəʊ.sɪs/.
What does "apotheosis" mean?
As a noun, "apotheosis" means: The fact or action of becoming or making into a god; deification.
How do you pronounce "apotheosis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "apotheosis" is /əˌpɒθ.iːˈəʊ.sɪs/. 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 "apotheosis"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Hellenic *apó Ancient Greek ᾰ̓πό (ăpó) Ancient Greek ἀπο- (apo-) Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s Proto-Hellenic *tʰehós Ancient Greek θεός (theós) Prot... 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.

Using “apotheosis”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-P-O-T-H-E-O-S-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˌpɒθ.iːˈəʊ.sɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list