apse

/æps/

//æps// noun

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

"apse" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“apse” is an uncommon English word, ranked #63,423 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#63,423
frequency rank, English
4
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The rounded east end of a church that contains or is behind the altar.

Key facts for apse
PropertyValue
Headwordapse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/æps/
Letters4
Frequency rank#63,423
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “apse” 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). apse 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 apse is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /æps/. Corpus data places it at rank #63,423 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 apse, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin apsis, hapsis, from Ancient Greek ἁψίς (hapsís, “arch, vault”), from ἅπτω (háptō, “I bind, join”). The correct English form is apse, spelled A-P-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The rounded east end of a church that contains or is behind the altar.
  2. 2
    The rounded east end of a church that contains or is behind the altar.
  3. 3
    A semicircular projection from any building that is similar to a church's apse.
  4. 4
    The bishop's seat or throne in ancient churches.
  5. 5
    A reliquary: a case in which the relics of saints are kept.
  6. 6
    Obsolete form of apsis (“the nearest and furthest points to the centre of gravitational attraction for a body in orbit”).

Etymology

From Latin apsis, hapsis, from Ancient Greek ἁψίς (hapsís, “arch, vault”), from ἅπτω (háptō, “I bind, join”).

This word in other languages

ábside(Español)abside(Français)Apsis(Deutsch)abside(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 "apse"?
"apse" is spelled A-P-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /æps/.
What does "apse" mean?
As a noun, "apse" means: The rounded east end of a church that contains or is behind the altar.
How do you pronounce "apse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "apse" is /æps/. 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 "apse"?
From Latin apsis, hapsis, from Ancient Greek ἁψίς (hapsís, “arch, vault”), from ἅπτω (háptō, “I bind, join”). 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 “apse”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-P-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /æps/ (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