archdeacon
"archdeacon" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“archdeacon” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #41,510 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #41,510
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A senior administrative official in a diocese, just under the bishop, often in charge of an archdeaconry. As a title, it can be filled by either a deacon or priest.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | archdeacon |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #41,510 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “archdeacon” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for archdeacon is 10 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #41,510 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A senior administrative official in a diocese, just under the bishop, often in charge of an archdeaconry. As a title, it can be filled by either a deacon or priest.".
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for archdeacon, with forms such as "acrhdeacon", "arcchdeacon", and "arcdheacon". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English arcedekne, archdecon, archdekne, archdekyn, archedeken, archedekyn, archedyacun, archideken, archidiacon, ardekne, ercedekene, ercedekne, erchdekene, erchedekene, erchedekne, erresdeken, ersedekne, ersedekyn, from Old English ærcedæcne, … The correct English form is archdeacon, spelled A-R-C-H-D-E-A-C-O-N.
Definition
- 1A senior administrative official in a diocese, just under the bishop, often in charge of an archdeaconry. As a title, it can be filled by either a deacon or priest.
Etymology
From Middle English arcedekne, archdecon, archdekne, archdekyn, archedeken, archedekyn, archedyacun, archideken, archidiacon, ardekne, ercedekene, ercedekne, erchdekene, erchedekene, erchedekne, erresdeken, ersedekne, ersedekyn, from Old English ærcedæcne, ærcediæcne, earcedæcne (from Late Latin archidiāconus) and Old French arc(h)ediacne.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: acrhdeacon,arcchdeacon,arcdheacon,archdaecon,archddeacon,archdeaccon,archdeacno,archdeaconn,archdeaocn,archdecaon,archedacon,archhdeacon,arhcdeacon,arrchdeacon,rachdeacon
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of archdeacon - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "archdeacon"?
What does "archdeacon" mean?
What are common misspellings of "archdeacon"?
What is the origin of the word "archdeacon"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “archdeacon”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-R-C-H-D-E-A-C-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.