ecclesiastical

/əˌkli.ziˈæ.stə.kəl/

//əˌkli.ziˈæ.stə.kəl// adj

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

"ecclesiastical" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ecclesiastical” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,154. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,154
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
19
tracked misspellings

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-ecclesiastical · ecclesiastical · English

ecclesiastical · rank #15,154 · 19 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,154
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 19 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH eagerly

Nearest frequency peer: eagerly (-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 “ecclesiastical”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ecclesiastical” 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 ecclesiastical
PropertyValue
Headwordecclesiastical
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˌkli.ziˈæ.stə.kəl/
Letters14
Frequency rank#15,154
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ecclesiastical”

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).ecclesiasticallands 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 “eagerly” (#15,153), “EDT” (#15,155), “durant” (#15,152). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “ecclesiastical” is #15,154. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around ecclesiastical (IPA /əˌkli.ziˈæ.stə.kəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #15,154 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Of or pertaining to the church.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for ecclesiastical, with forms such as "ceclesiastical", "eccelsiastical", and "eccleisastical". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ecclesiasticall, ecclesiasticalle, from Latin ecclēsiasticus + -al. By surface analysis, ecclesiastic + -al or ecclesiast + -ical. The correct English form is ecclesiastical, spelled E-C-C-L-E-S-I-A-S-T-I-C-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to the church.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. ecclesiastical architecture
  2. Sodomy had always been an ecclesiastical offense. The Statute of 1533 (25 Henry VIII, c. 6) made it a felony; and Pollock and Maitland consider that this "affords an almost sufficient proof that the temporal courts had not punished it, and that no one had been put to death for it, for a very long time past."

Etymology

From Middle English ecclesiasticall, ecclesiasticalle, from Latin ecclēsiasticus + -al. By surface analysis, ecclesiastic + -al or ecclesiast + -ical.

Synonyms

churchicalchurchishchurchlikechurchlychurchyecclesialecclesiasticecclesiastical

Antonyms

antiecclesiasticalnonecclesiasticalnonchurchlynonecclesiasticunchurchlikeunchurchlyunecclesiastical

This word in other languages

eclesiástico(Español)ecclésiastique(Français)kirchlich(Deutsch)eclesiástico(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ceclesiastical
  • eccelsiastical
  • eccleisastical
  • ecclesaistical
  • ecclesiasitcal
  • ecclesiasstical
  • ecclesiastcial
  • ecclesiastiacl
  • ecclesiasticall
  • ecclesiasticcal
  • ecclesiasticla
  • ecclesiasttical
  • ecclesiatsical
  • ecclesisatical
  • ecclessiastical
  • eccllesiastical
  • ecclseiastical
  • eclcesiastical
  • eclesiastical

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ceclesiastical2eccelsiastical2eccleisastical2ecclesaistical2ecclesiasitcal2ecclesiasstical1ecclesiastcial2ecclesiastiacl2
Edit distance from "ecclesiastical"

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 "ecclesiastical"?
"ecclesiastical" is spelled E-C-C-L-E-S-I-A-S-T-I-C-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /əˌkli.ziˈæ.stə.kəl/.
What does "ecclesiastical" mean?
As an adjective, "ecclesiastical" means: Of or pertaining to the church.
What are common misspellings of "ecclesiastical"?
Common misspellings include "ceclesiastical", "eccelsiastical", "eccleisastical", "ecclesaistical", "ecclesiasitcal". The correct spelling is "ecclesiastical".
How do you pronounce "ecclesiastical"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ecclesiastical" is /əˌkli.ziˈæ.stə.kəl/. 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 "ecclesiastical"?
From Middle English ecclesiasticall, ecclesiasticalle, from Latin ecclēsiasticus + -al. By surface analysis, ecclesiastic + -al or ecclesiast + -ical. 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 "ecclesiastical", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 14 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

accommodations#15,318apprenticeship#15,571systematically#14,645discriminatory#15,804

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (19 here; floor ≥5).

gravitational19 variantschoreography19 variantsunconditional19 variantsunforgettable19 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list