beadle

[ˈbiːdəɫ]

/[ˈbiːdəɫ]/ noun

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

"beadle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“beadle” is an uncommon English word, ranked #52,173 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#52,173
frequency rank, English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A parish constable, a uniformed minor (lay) official, who ushers and keeps order.

Key facts for beadle
PropertyValue
Headwordbeadle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈbiːdəɫ]
Letters6
Frequency rank#52,173
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “beadle” 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). beadle lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for beadle is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈbiːdəɫ]. Corpus data places it at rank #52,173 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

beadle doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bedel, bidel, from Old English bydel (“warrant officer, apparitor”), from Proto-West Germanic *budil, from Proto-Germanic *budilaz (“herald”), equivalent to bid + -le. Cognate with Dutch beul, German Büttel. More at bid. The correct English form is beadle, spelled B-E-A-D-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A parish constable, a uniformed minor (lay) official, who ushers and keeps order.
  2. 2
    An attendant to the minister.
  3. 3
    A warrant officer.

Etymology

From Middle English bedel, bidel, from Old English bydel (“warrant officer, apparitor”), from Proto-West Germanic *budil, from Proto-Germanic *budilaz (“herald”), equivalent to bid + -le. Cognate with Dutch beul, German Büttel. More at bid.

This word in other languages

bedeau(Français)

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 "beadle"?
"beadle" is spelled B-E-A-D-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈbiːdəɫ].
What does "beadle" mean?
As a noun, "beadle" means: A parish constable, a uniformed minor (lay) official, who ushers and keeps order.
How do you pronounce "beadle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "beadle" is [ˈbiːdəɫ]. 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 "beadle"?
From Middle English bedel, bidel, from Old English bydel (“warrant officer, apparitor”), from Proto-West Germanic *budil, from Proto-Germanic *budilaz (“herald”), equivalent to bid + -le. Cognate with Dutch beul, German Büttel. More at bid. 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 “beadle”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-E-A-D-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈbiːdəɫ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list