archetype
/ˈɑːkɪtaɪp/
"archetype" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“archetype” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #30,314 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #30,314
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An original model of which all other similar concepts, objects, or persons are merely copied, derivative, emulated, or patterned.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | archetype |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɑːkɪtaɪp/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #30,314 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “archetype” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for archetype is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɑːkɪtaɪp/. Corpus data places it at rank #30,314 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for archetype, with forms such as "acrhetype", "arcchetype", and "arcehtype". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "archetypal", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French architipe (modern French archétype), from Latin archetypum (“original”), from Ancient Greek ἀρχέτυπον (arkhétupon, “model, pattern”), the neuter form of ἀρχέτυπος (arkhétupos, “first-moulded”), from ἀρχή (arkhḗ, “beginning, origin”) (from ἄρ… The correct English form is archetype, spelled A-R-C-H-E-T-Y-P-E.
Definition
- 1An original model of which all other similar concepts, objects, or persons are merely copied, derivative, emulated, or patterned.
- 2An ideal example of something; a quintessence.
- 3A character, object, or story that is based on a known character, object, or story.
- 4According to Swiss psychologist Carl Jung: a universal pattern of thought, present in an individual's unconscious, inherited from the past collective experience of humanity.
- 5A protograph (“original manuscript of a text from which all further copies derive”).
Etymology
From Old French architipe (modern French archétype), from Latin archetypum (“original”), from Ancient Greek ἀρχέτυπον (arkhétupon, “model, pattern”), the neuter form of ἀρχέτυπος (arkhétupos, “first-moulded”), from ἀρχή (arkhḗ, “beginning, origin”) (from ἄρχω (árkhō, “to begin; to lead, rule”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ergʰ- (“to begin; to command, rule”)) + τῠ́πος (tŭ́pos, “blow, pressing; sort, type”) (from τύπτω (túptō, “to beat, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- (“to push; to stick”)).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: acrhetype,arcchetype,arcehtype,archetpye,archettype,archetyep,archetyppe,archetyype,archeytpe,archhetype,archteype,arhcetype,arrchetype,rachetype
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of archetype - 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.
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 "archetype"?
What does "archetype" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "archetype"?
How do you pronounce "archetype"?
What is the origin of the word "archetype"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “archetype”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-R-C-H-E-T-Y-P-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɑːkɪtaɪp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “archetypal” - see the side-by-side comparison. archetype vs archetypal
- 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.