epistolary

Name: epistolary, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ɪˈpɪst(ə)ˌl(ə)ɹi/

//ɪˈpɪst(ə)ˌl(ə)ɹi// adj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“epistolary” is uncommon English (frequency #66,640 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,640
frequency rank, English: 18,836
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or relating to letters, or the writing of letters.

Key facts for epistolary
Property	Value
Headword	epistolary
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ɪˈpɪst(ə)ˌl(ə)ɹi/
Letters	10
Frequency rank	#66,640
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “epistolary” 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). epistolary lands here:

#66,640

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Rare enough to double-check

epistolary is uncommon English at frequency #66,640 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɪˈpɪst(ə)ˌl(ə)ɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for epistolary in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1627, from Latin epistolārius, from epistola (“letter”) (English epistle) + -ārius, from Ancient Greek ἐπιστολή (epistolḗ) from ἐπιστέλλω (epistéllō, “I send a message”) from ἐπί (epí, “upon”) + στέλλω (stéllō, “I prepare, send”). For the noun, compare Midd… The correct English form is epistolary, spelled E-P-I-S-T-O-L-A-R-Y.

Definition

1
Of or relating to letters, or the writing of letters.
2
Carried on by written correspondence.
3
In the manner of written correspondence.

Etymology

1627, from Latin epistolārius, from epistola (“letter”) (English epistle) + -ārius, from Ancient Greek ἐπιστολή (epistolḗ) from ἐπιστέλλω (epistéllō, “I send a message”) from ἐπί (epí, “upon”) + στέλλω (stéllō, “I prepare, send”). For the noun, compare Middle English pistelarie and Old English pistelari, both from Medieval Latin epistolārium, possibly via an unattested *epistelari, *epistolarie.

This word in other languages

epistolar(Português)

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 "epistolary"?

"epistolary" is spelled E-P-I-S-T-O-L-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈpɪst(ə)ˌl(ə)ɹi/.

What does "epistolary" mean?

As an adjective, "epistolary" means: Of or relating to letters, or the writing of letters.

How do you pronounce "epistolary"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "epistolary" is /ɪˈpɪst(ə)ˌl(ə)ɹi/. 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 "epistolary"?

1627, from Latin epistolārius, from epistola (“letter”) (English epistle) + -ārius, from Ancient Greek ἐπιστολή (epistolḗ) from ἐπιστέλλω (epistéllō, “I send a message”) from ἐπί (epí, “upon”) + στέλλω (stéllō, “I prepare, send”). For the noun, co... 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 “epistolary”

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

The one correct English spelling is E-P-I-S-T-O-L-A-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ɪˈpɪst(ə)ˌl(ə)ɹi/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.