Bethlehem

/ˈbɛθ.lə.hɛm/

//ˈbɛθ.lə.hɛm// name

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

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

The verdict

“Bethlehem” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,086. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,086
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A city in the West Bank, Palestine, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bethlehem · Bethlehem · English

Bethlehem · rank #17,086 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,086
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bender

Nearest frequency peer: bender (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Bethlehem”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Bethlehem” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Bethlehem
PropertyValue
HeadwordBethlehem
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈbɛθ.lə.hɛm/
Letters9
Frequency rank#17,086
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Bethlehem”

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).Bethlehemlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “bender” (#17,085), “bedding” (#17,084), “Boi” (#17,088). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “Bethlehem” is #17,086. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around Bethlehem (IPA /ˈbɛθ.lə.hɛm/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #17,086 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 25 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for Bethlehem, with forms such as "bbethlehem", "behtlehem", and "bethelhem". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English Bethleem, from Old French Bethleem and Old English Bethleem, from Latin Bēthlehēmum, from Ancient Greek Βηθλεέμ (Bēthleém), from Hebrew בֵּית לֶחֶם (bēṯ lɛ́ḥɛm, literally “house of bread”). Doublet of bedlam and Belém. The correct English form is Bethlehem, spelled B-E-T-H-L-E-H-E-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A city in the West Bank, Palestine, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus.
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Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Now when Ieſus was boꝛne in Bethlehem of Iudea, in the dayes of Herod the king, behold, there came Wiſe men from the Eaſt to Hierusalem,

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English Bethleem, from Old French Bethleem and Old English Bethleem, from Latin Bēthlehēmum, from Ancient Greek Βηθλεέμ (Bēthleém), from Hebrew בֵּית לֶחֶם (bēṯ lɛ́ḥɛm, literally “house of bread”). Doublet of bedlam and Belém.

This word in other languages

Belén(Español)Bethléem(Français)Betlehem(Deutsch)Belém(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbethlehem
  • behtlehem
  • bethelhem
  • bethhlehem
  • bethleehm
  • bethlehemm
  • bethlehhem
  • bethlehme
  • bethlheem
  • bethllehem
  • betlhehem
  • betthlehem
  • btehlehem
  • ebthlehem

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbethlehem1behtlehem2bethelhem2bethhlehem1bethleehm2bethlehemm1bethlehhem1bethlehme2
Edit distance from "Bethlehem"

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 "Bethlehem"?
"Bethlehem" is spelled B-E-T-H-L-E-H-E-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɛθ.lə.hɛm/.
What does "Bethlehem" mean?
As a proper noun, "Bethlehem" means: A city in the West Bank, Palestine, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus.
What are common misspellings of "Bethlehem"?
Common misspellings include "bbethlehem", "behtlehem", "bethelhem", "bethhlehem", "bethleehm". The correct spelling is "Bethlehem".
How do you pronounce "Bethlehem"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Bethlehem" is /ˈbɛθ.lə.hɛm/. 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 "Bethlehem"?
Inherited from Middle English Bethleem, from Old French Bethleem and Old English Bethleem, from Latin Bēthlehēmum, from Ancient Greek Βηθλεέμ (Bēthleém), from Hebrew בֵּית לֶחֶם (bēṯ lɛ́ḥɛm, literally “house of bread”). Doublet of bedlam and Belém. 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 "Bethlehem", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bourgeois#17,089childcare#17,100accession#17,067condensed#17,108

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

revolving14 variantsheartfelt14 variantsreputable14 variantshypocrite14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list