apotropaic
/ˌæpətɹəˈpeɪ.ɪk/
"apotropaic" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“apotropaic” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Intended to ward off evil.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | apotropaic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌæpətɹəˈpeɪ.ɪk/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “apotropaic” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
apotropaic is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌæpətɹəˈpeɪ.ɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Intended to ward off evil.".
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for apotropaic, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek ἀποτρόπαιος (apotrópaios), from ἀπό (apó, “away”) and τρόπος (trópos, “turn”); thus meaning “causing things to turn away”, as in “turns away evil”. The correct English form is apotropaic, spelled A-P-O-T-R-O-P-A-I-C.
Definition
- 1Intended to ward off evil.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἀποτρόπαιος (apotrópaios), from ἀπό (apó, “away”) and τρόπος (trópos, “turn”); thus meaning “causing things to turn away”, as in “turns away evil”.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "apotropaic"?
What does "apotropaic" mean?
How do you pronounce "apotropaic"?
What is the origin of the word "apotropaic"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “apotropaic”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-P-O-T-R-O-P-A-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌæpətɹəˈpeɪ.ɪk/ (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.