atman

/ˈɑːtman/

//ˈɑːtman// noun

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

"atman" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“atman” is uncommon English (frequency #72,098 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,098
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The true self of an individual beyond identification with worldly phenomena, the essence of an individual, an infinitesimal part of Brahman.

Corpus desk

Index EN-atman · atman · English

atman · rank #72,098 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,098
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH attar

Nearest frequency peer: attar (+1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “atman”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “atman” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for atman
PropertyValue
Headwordatman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɑːtman/
Letters5
Frequency rank#72,098
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “atman” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).atmanfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “attar” (#72,099), “astrodome” (#72,096), “aseptic” (#72,095). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “atman” is #72,098. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

atman is uncommon English at frequency #72,098 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɑːtman/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The true self of an individual beyond identification with worldly phenomena, the essence of an individual, an infinitesimal part of Brahman.".

No misspelling variants are generated for atman in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Sanskrit आत्मन् (ātmán, “soul; self; ego; essence”). Doublet of edder (“blood vessel”) and cognate with Old English ǣþm (“breath”). The correct English form is atman, spelled A-T-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The true self of an individual beyond identification with worldly phenomena, the essence of an individual, an infinitesimal part of Brahman.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. However, we have been led beyond this to a threefold analysis which in its western version is body-soul-spirit and in its eastern version body-mind-atman.
  2. Atman is the manifestation of brahman in the human body. The central theme of the Upanishads is that in the liberated state the atman is identical with brahman.[…]The word atman is generally translated as soul, self or spirit. However, in view of the Western definition of the soul, atman and soul are not the same.[…]In the Western view, the soul is create…

Etymology

From Sanskrit आत्मन् (ātmán, “soul; self; ego; essence”). Doublet of edder (“blood vessel”) and cognate with Old English ǣþm (“breath”).

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 "atman"?
"atman" is spelled A-T-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɑːtman/.
What does "atman" mean?
As a noun, "atman" means: The true self of an individual beyond identification with worldly phenomena, the essence of an individual, an infinitesimal part of Brahman.
How do you pronounce "atman"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "atman" is /ˈɑːtman/. 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 "atman"?
From Sanskrit आत्मन् (ātmán, “soul; self; ego; essence”). Doublet of edder (“blood vessel”) and cognate with Old English ǣþm (“breath”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "atman", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

attar#72,099asana#72,094basha#72,116blech#72,135

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list