bishop

/ˈbɪʃəp/

//ˈbɪʃəp// noun

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

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

The verdict

“bishop” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,742. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,742
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An overseer of congregations: either any such overseer, generally speaking, or (in Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Anglicanism, etc.) an official in the church hierarchy (actively or nominally) gov...

Corpus desk

Index EN-bishop · bishop · English

bishop · rank #3,742 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,742
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Berlin

Nearest frequency peer: Berlin (-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 “bishop”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bishop” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bishop vs bison
67% similar
bishop vs bishops
86% similar

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

Key facts for bishop
PropertyValue
Headwordbishop
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɪʃəp/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,742
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bishop”

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).bishoplands 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 “Berlin” (#3,741), “channels” (#3,743), “belong” (#3,740). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bishop” is #3,742. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around bishop (IPA /ˈbɪʃəp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,742 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for bishop, with forms such as "bbishop", "bihsop", and "bishhop". 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, "bison", "bishops", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bischop, bishop, bisshop, biscop, from Old English bisċop (“bishop”), from Proto-West Germanic *biskop, from Vulgar Latin (e)biscopus, from classical Latin episcopus (“overseer, supervisor”), from Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος (epískopos, “ove… The correct English form is bishop, spelled B-I-S-H-O-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    An overseer of congregations: either any such overseer, generally speaking, or (in Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Anglicanism, etc.) an official in the church hierarchy (actively or nominally) governing a diocese, supervising the church's priests, deacons, and property in its territory.
  2. 2
    An overseer of congregations: either any such overseer, generally speaking, or (in Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Anglicanism, etc.) an official in the church hierarchy (actively or nominally) governing a diocese, supervising the church's priests, deacons, and property in its territory.
  3. 3
    The holder of the Greek or Roman position of episcopus, supervisor over the public dole of grain, etc.
  4. 4
    Any watchman, inspector, or overlooker.
  5. 5
    A chief of the Festival of Fools or St. Nicholas Day.
  6. 6
    The chess piece denoted ♗ or ♝ which moves along diagonal lines and developed from the shatranj alfil ("elephant") and was originally known as the aufil or archer in English.
  7. 7
    Any of various African birds of the genus Euplectes; a kind of weaverbird closely related to the widowbirds.
  8. 8
    A ladybug or ladybird, beetles of the family Coccinellidae.
  9. 9
    A flowering plant of the genus Bifora.
  10. 10
    A sweet drink made from wine, usually with oranges, lemons, and sugar; mulled and spiced port.
  11. 11
    A bustle.
  12. 12
    A children's smock or pinafore.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. King James of blessed memory said, no Bishop, no King: it was not he, but others that added, No Ceremony, no Bishop.
  2. St. Ignatius... In his 'Epiſtle to the Magneſians,' he exhorts them to do all things in the love of God, telling them, the Biſhop preſides in the place of God...

Etymology

From Middle English bischop, bishop, bisshop, biscop, from Old English bisċop (“bishop”), from Proto-West Germanic *biskop, from Vulgar Latin (e)biscopus, from classical Latin episcopus (“overseer, supervisor”), from Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος (epískopos, “overseer”), from ἐπί (epí, “over”) + σκοπός (skopós, “watcher”), used in Greek and Latin both generally and as a title of civil officers. Cognate with all European terms for the position in various Christian churches; compare also Middle English bisp (“bishop”).

Synonyms

diocesan bishopsuffragan bishopordinaryhierarchconsecrator

This word in other languages

obispo(Español)évêque(Français)Bischof(Deutsch)bispo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbishop
  • bihsop
  • bishhop
  • bishopp
  • bishpo
  • bisohp
  • bisshop
  • bsihop
  • ibshop

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bishop - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbishop1bihsop2bishhop1bishopp1bishpo2bisohp2bisshop1bsihop2
Edit distance from "bishop"

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 "bishop"?
"bishop" is spelled B-I-S-H-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɪʃəp/.
What does "bishop" mean?
As a noun, "bishop" means: An overseer of congregations: either any such overseer, generally speaking, or (in Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Anglicanism, etc.) an official in the church hierarchy (actively or nominally) gov...
What words are commonly confused with "bishop"?
"bishop" is commonly confused with "bison", "bishops". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bishop"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bishop" is /ˈbɪʃəp/. 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 "bishop"?
From Middle English bischop, bishop, bisshop, biscop, from Old English bisċop (“bishop”), from Proto-West Germanic *biskop, from Vulgar Latin (e)biscopus, from classical Latin episcopus (“overseer, supervisor”), from Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος (epísk... 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 "bishop", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Berlin#3,741belong#3,740arrive#3,739they'd#3,729

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

connect9 variantsArizona9 variantsserves9 variantskicked9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list