atheism

/ˈeɪ.θi.ɪ.zəm/

//ˈeɪ.θi.ɪ.zəm// noun

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

"atheism" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“atheism” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,955. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,955
frequency rank, English
35,202
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A non-belief in deities.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

atheism vs Athens
57% similar
atheism vs atheist
86% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for atheism
PropertyValue
Headwordatheism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈeɪ.θi.ɪ.zəm/
Letters7
Frequency rank#15,955
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “atheism” 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). atheism lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around atheism (IPA /ˈeɪ.θi.ɪ.zəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,955 among 35,202 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for atheism, with forms such as "ahteism", "atehism", and "atheims". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Athens", "atheist", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 16th century Middle French athéisme, from athée (“atheist”), a loan from Ancient Greek ἄθεος (átheos, “godless”, from ἀ- (a-, “without”) + θεός (theós, “deity, god”)). First English attestation dates to 1587 (OED). The correct English form is atheism, spelled A-T-H-E-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A non-belief in deities.
  2. 2
    A non-belief in deities.
  3. 3
    A non-belief in deities.
  4. 4
    Absence of belief in a particular deity, pantheon, or religious doctrine (notwithstanding belief in other deities).
  5. 5
    A rejection of all religions, even non-theistic ones.

Etymology

16th century Middle French athéisme, from athée (“atheist”), a loan from Ancient Greek ἄθεος (átheos, “godless”, from ἀ- (a-, “without”) + θεός (theós, “deity, god”)). First English attestation dates to 1587 (OED).

This word in other languages

ateísmo(Español)athéisme(Français)Atheismus(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahteism
  • atehism
  • atheims
  • atheismm
  • atheissm
  • athesim
  • athheism
  • athiesm
  • attheism
  • taheism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of atheism - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ahteism2atehism2atheims2atheismm1atheissm1athesim2athheism1athiesm2
Edit distance from "atheism"

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 "atheism"?
"atheism" is spelled A-T-H-E-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈeɪ.θi.ɪ.zəm/.
What does "atheism" mean?
As a noun, "atheism" means: A non-belief in deities.
What words are commonly confused with "atheism"?
"atheism" is commonly confused with "Athens", "atheist". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "atheism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "atheism" is /ˈeɪ.θi.ɪ.zəm/. 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 "atheism"?
16th century Middle French athéisme, from athée (“atheist”), a loan from Ancient Greek ἄθεος (átheos, “godless”, from ἀ- (a-, “without”) + θεός (theós, “deity, god”)). First English attestation dates to 1587 (OED). 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 “atheism”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-T-H-E-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈeɪ.θi.ɪ.zəm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Athens” - see the side-by-side comparison. atheism vs Athens
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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