catholic

/ˈkæ.θ(ə.)lɪk/

//ˈkæ.θ(ə.)lɪk// adj

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

"catholic" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“catholic” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,718. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,718
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Universal; all-encompassing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-catholic · catholic · English

catholic · rank #2,718 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,718
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH carbon

Nearest frequency peer: carbon (-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 “catholic”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “catholic” 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 catholic
PropertyValue
Headwordcatholic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkæ.θ(ə.)lɪk/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,718
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “catholic”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).catholiclands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “carbon” (#2,717), “chose” (#2,719), “brilliant” (#2,716). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “catholic” is #2,718. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around catholic (IPA /ˈkæ.θ(ə.)lɪk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,718 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for catholic, with forms such as "actholic", "cahtolic", and "cathholic". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French catholique, from Latin catholicus, from Ancient Greek καθολικός (katholikós, “universal”), from κατά (katá, “according to”) + ὅλος (hólos, “whole”). The correct English form is catholic, spelled C-A-T-H-O-L-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Universal; all-encompassing.
  2. 2
    Alternative letter-case form of Catholic.
  3. 3
    Common or prevalent; especially universally prevalent.
  4. 4
    Embracing all.
  5. 5
    Universally applicable.
  6. 6
    Of universal human interest or use.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The church is catholic, universal, so are all her actions; all that she does, belongs to all.
  2. Essentially, and in idea, the empire, in the minds of the Romans, was world-wide. This conception descended to the Church, which was ‘Catholic’ in spite of Buddhists, Confucians, and (later) Muhammadans.

Etymology

From Old French catholique, from Latin catholicus, from Ancient Greek καθολικός (katholikós, “universal”), from κατά (katá, “according to”) + ὅλος (hólos, “whole”).

This word in other languages

catholique(Français)umfassend(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • actholic
  • cahtolic
  • cathholic
  • cathloic
  • cathoilc
  • catholci
  • catholicc
  • cathollic
  • catohlic
  • cattholic
  • ccatholic
  • ctaholic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

actholic2cahtolic2cathholic1cathloic2cathoilc2catholci2catholicc1cathollic1
Edit distance from "catholic"

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 "catholic"?
"catholic" is spelled C-A-T-H-O-L-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæ.θ(ə.)lɪk/.
What does "catholic" mean?
As an adjective, "catholic" means: Universal; all-encompassing.
What are common misspellings of "catholic"?
Common misspellings include "actholic", "cahtolic", "cathholic", "cathloic", "cathoilc". The correct spelling is "catholic".
How do you pronounce "catholic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "catholic" is /ˈkæ.θ(ə.)lɪk/. 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 "catholic"?
From Old French catholique, from Latin catholicus, from Ancient Greek καθολικός (katholikós, “universal”), from κατά (katá, “according to”) + ὅλος (hólos, “whole”). 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 "catholic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

declared#2,723sleeping#2,702interior#2,737pregnant#2,695

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

brilliant12 variantspersonnel12 variantsPakistan12 variantsidentify12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list