Areopagus

/æɹiˈɒpəɡəs/

//æɹiˈɒpəɡəs// name

"areopagus" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Areopagus” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The supreme judicial and legislative council of ancient Athens.

Corpus desk

Index EN-areopagus · Areopagus · English

Areopagus · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for Areopagus
PropertyValue
HeadwordAreopagus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/æɹiˈɒpəɡəs/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Areopagus” in English

Areopagusranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Areopagus is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /æɹiˈɒpəɡəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Areopagus doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek Ἄρειος Πάγος (Áreios Págos, literally “Rock of Ares”), which in classical times functioned as the high Court of Appeal for criminal and civil cases in Athens. The correct English form is Areopagus, spelled A-R-E-O-P-A-G-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The supreme judicial and legislative council of ancient Athens.
  2. 2
    A prominent rock outcropping located northwest of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Areopagus appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. When the great emergencies of the state required his presence and attention, he was engaged in conversation with the philosopher Plotinus, wasting his time in trifling or licentious pleasures, preparing his initiation to the Grecian mysteries, or soliciting a place in the Areopagus of Athens.
  2. All hands were on deck, all the afternoon, with books and maps and glasses, trying to determine which “narrow rocky ridge” was the Areopagus, which sloping hill the Pnyx, which elevation the Museum Hill, and so on.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Ἄρειος Πάγος (Áreios Págos, literally “Rock of Ares”), which in classical times functioned as the high Court of Appeal for criminal and civil cases in Athens.

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 "Areopagus"?
"Areopagus" is spelled A-R-E-O-P-A-G-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /æɹiˈɒpəɡəs/.
What does "Areopagus" mean?
As a proper noun, "Areopagus" means: The supreme judicial and legislative council of ancient Athens.
How do you pronounce "Areopagus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Areopagus" is /æɹiˈɒpəɡəs/. 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 "Areopagus"?
From Ancient Greek Ἄρειος Πάγος (Áreios Págos, literally “Rock of Ares”), which in classical times functioned as the high Court of Appeal for criminal and civil cases in Athens. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list