cephalic

/sɪˈfælɪk/

//sɪˈfælɪk// adj

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

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

The verdict

“cephalic” is uncommon English (frequency #82,164 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,164
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or relating to the head.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cephalic · cephalic · English

cephalic · rank #82,164 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #82,164
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Charleroi

Nearest frequency peer: Charleroi (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “cephalic”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “cephalic” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cephalic
PropertyValue
Headwordcephalic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/sɪˈfælɪk/
Letters8
Frequency rank#82,164
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cephalic” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cephalicfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Charleroi” (#82,165), “cellulitis” (#82,162), “CD3” (#82,161). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cephalic” is #82,164. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cephalic is uncommon English at frequency #82,164 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /sɪˈfælɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for cephalic, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French céphalique, from Latin cephalicus (“head”), from Ancient Greek κεφαλικός (kephalikós, “capital”), from κεφαλή (kephalḗ, “head”). The correct English form is cephalic, spelled C-E-P-H-A-L-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or relating to the head.
  2. 2
    Of or relating to the head.
  3. 3
    Of or relating to the head.
  4. 4
    Toward the head; in bipeds such as humans, this direction corresponds to superior.
  5. 5
    Headlike; cephaloid.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The objective of this study was to identify the factors predictive of the success of external cephalic version (ECV). […] The study shows that transverse foetal presentation, a senior physician operator, multiparity, as well as a non-anterior placental location are factors predictive of the success of ECV.
  2. I was at the Mathematical School, where the Maſter taught his Pupils after a Method ſcarce imaginable to us in Europe. The Propoſition and Demonſtration were fairly written on a thin Wafer, with Ink compoſed of a Cephalick Tincture. This the Student was to ſwallow upon a faſting Stomach, and for three days following eat nothing but Bread and Water. As the…

Etymology

From Middle French céphalique, from Latin cephalicus (“head”), from Ancient Greek κεφαλικός (kephalikós, “capital”), from κεφαλή (kephalḗ, “head”).

This word in other languages

cefálico(Español)céphalique(Français)Kopf-(Deutsch)

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 "cephalic"?
"cephalic" is spelled C-E-P-H-A-L-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /sɪˈfælɪk/.
What does "cephalic" mean?
As an adjective, "cephalic" means: Of or relating to the head.
How do you pronounce "cephalic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cephalic" is /sɪˈfælɪk/. 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 "cephalic"?
From Middle French céphalique, from Latin cephalicus (“head”), from Ancient Greek κεφαλικός (kephalikós, “capital”), from κεφαλή (kephalḗ, “head”). 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 "cephalic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Cheatham#82,169catfight#82,156clemence#82,182closeout#82,184

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list