ephebe
/ɛˈfiːb/
"ephebe" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ephebe” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An 18- to 20-year-old man in ancient Greece undergoing military training.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ephebe |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɛˈfiːb/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ephebe” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
ephebe is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɛˈfiːb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
ephebe has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Via Latin ephēbus, from Ancient Greek ἔφηβος (éphēbos, “adolescent”), from ἐπί (epí, “early”) + ἥβη (hḗbē, “manhood”), late 19th c. The correct English form is ephebe, spelled E-P-H-E-B-E.
Definition
- 1An 18- to 20-year-old man in ancient Greece undergoing military training.
- 2A young man; a youth.
Etymology
Via Latin ephēbus, from Ancient Greek ἔφηβος (éphēbos, “adolescent”), from ἐπί (epí, “early”) + ἥβη (hḗbē, “manhood”), late 19th c.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “ephebe”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-P-H-E-B-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɛˈfiːb/ (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.