bibliotheca

/ˌbɪbli.əˈθiːkə/

//ˌbɪbli.əˈθiːkə// noun

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

"bibliotheca" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bibliotheca” is uncommon English (frequency #68,871 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,871
frequency rank, English
31,241
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A library.

Key facts for bibliotheca
PropertyValue
Headwordbibliotheca
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌbɪbli.əˈθiːkə/
Letters11
Frequency rank#68,871
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bibliotheca” 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). bibliotheca lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

bibliotheca is uncommon English at frequency #68,871 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌbɪbli.əˈθiːkə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A library.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for bibliotheca, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin bibliothēca, borrowed from Ancient Greek βιβλιοθήκη (bibliothḗkē, “library”). Equivalent to biblio- + -theca. Doublet of bibliotheque. The correct English form is bibliotheca, spelled B-I-B-L-I-O-T-H-E-C-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A library.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin bibliothēca, borrowed from Ancient Greek βιβλιοθήκη (bibliothḗkē, “library”). Equivalent to biblio- + -theca. Doublet of bibliotheque.

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 "bibliotheca"?
"bibliotheca" is spelled B-I-B-L-I-O-T-H-E-C-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌbɪbli.əˈθiːkə/.
What does "bibliotheca" mean?
As a noun, "bibliotheca" means: A library.
How do you pronounce "bibliotheca"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bibliotheca" is /ˌbɪbli.əˈθiːkə/. 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 "bibliotheca"?
Learned borrowing from Latin bibliothēca, borrowed from Ancient Greek βιβλιοθήκη (bibliothḗkē, “library”). Equivalent to biblio- + -theca. Doublet of bibliotheque. 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 “bibliotheca”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-I-B-L-I-O-T-H-E-C-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌbɪbli.əˈθiːkə/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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