emperor

/ˈɛmpəɹə/

//ˈɛmpəɹə// noun

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

"emperor" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“emperor” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,667 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,667
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The male monarch or ruler of an empire.

Key facts for emperor
PropertyValue
Headwordemperor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛmpəɹə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,667
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “emperor” 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). emperor lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for emperor is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛmpəɹə/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,667 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for emperor, with forms such as "emepror", "emmperor", and "empeorr". 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 its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English emperour, from Anglo-Norman emperour, from Latin imperātorem, derived from imperō (“to command”). Doublet of imperator. Displaced earlier Old English casere, from Latin Caesar. The correct English form is emperor, spelled E-M-P-E-R-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The male monarch or ruler of an empire.
  2. 2
    Any monarch ruling an empire, irrespective of gender, with "empress" contrasting to mean the consort of an emperor.
  3. 3
    Specifically, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire; the world-monarch.
  4. 4
    The fourth trump or major arcana card of the tarot deck.
  5. 5
    A large, relatively valuable marble in children's games.
  6. 6
    Any fish of the family Lethrinidae.
  7. 7
    Any of various butterflies of the subfamily Charaxinae.
  8. 8
    Any of various large dragonflies of the cosmopolitan genus Anax.
  9. 9
    An emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri).

Etymology

From Middle English emperour, from Anglo-Norman emperour, from Latin imperātorem, derived from imperō (“to command”). Doublet of imperator. Displaced earlier Old English casere, from Latin Caesar.

This word in other languages

emperador(Español)empereur(Français)Kaiser(Deutsch)imperador(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: emepror,emmperor,empeorr,emperorr,emperro,emperror,empperor,empreor,epmeror,meperor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of emperor - 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.

emepror2emmperor1empeorr2emperorr1emperro2emperror1empperor1empreor2
Edit distance from "emperor"

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 "emperor"?
"emperor" is spelled E-M-P-E-R-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛmpəɹə/.
What does "emperor" mean?
As a noun, "emperor" means: The male monarch or ruler of an empire.
What are common misspellings of "emperor"?
Common misspellings include "emepror", "emmperor", "empeorr", "emperorr", "emperro". The correct spelling is "emperor".
How do you pronounce "emperor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "emperor" is /ˈɛmpəɹə/. 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 "emperor"?
From Middle English emperour, from Anglo-Norman emperour, from Latin imperātorem, derived from imperō (“to command”). Doublet of imperator. Displaced earlier Old English casere, from Latin Caesar. 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 “emperor”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-M-P-E-R-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɛmpəɹə/ (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
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list