epithet
/ˈɛp.ɪˌθɛt/
"epithet" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“epithet” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #34,048 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #34,048
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A term used to characterize a person or thing.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | epithet |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɛp.ɪˌθɛt/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #34,048 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “epithet” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for epithet is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛp.ɪˌθɛt/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,048 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 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 epithet, with forms such as "eipthet", "epihtet", and "epiteht". 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. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "either", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French épithète, from Latin epithetum, epitheton, from Ancient Greek ἐπίθετον (epítheton, “epithet, adjective”), the neuter of ἐπίθετος (epíthetos, “additional”), from ἐπιτίθημι (epitíthēmi, “to add on”), from ἐπι- (epi-, “in addition”) + τίθημι… The correct English form is epithet, spelled E-P-I-T-H-E-T.
Definition
- 1A term used to characterize a person or thing.
- 2A term used as a qualifier of the name of a deity in order to designate said deity in a particular aspect or role.
- 3A term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person.
- 4One of many formulaic words or phrases used in the Iliad and Odyssey to characterize a person, a group of people, or a thing.
- 5An abusive or contemptuous word or phrase.
- 6A word in the scientific name of a taxon following the name of the genus or species. This applies only to formal names of plants, fungi and bacteria. In formal names of animals the corresponding term is the specific name.
Etymology
From Middle French épithète, from Latin epithetum, epitheton, from Ancient Greek ἐπίθετον (epítheton, “epithet, adjective”), the neuter of ἐπίθετος (epíthetos, “additional”), from ἐπιτίθημι (epitíthēmi, “to add on”), from ἐπι- (epi-, “in addition”) + τίθημι (títhēmi, “to put”) (suf. possibly related to title in the sense of "ascribed appellation") (from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, to do”)). Doublet of epitheton.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: eipthet,epihtet,epiteht,epithett,epithhet,epithte,epitthet,eppithet,eptihet,peithet
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of epithet - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "epithet"?
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Using “epithet”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-P-I-T-H-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɛp.ɪˌθɛt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “either” - see the side-by-side comparison. epithet vs either
- 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.