epitome

/əˈpɪt.ə.mi/

//əˈpɪt.ə.mi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“epitome” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,107. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,107
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The embodiment or encapsulation of a class of items.

Corpus desk

Index EN-epitome · epitome · English

epitome · rank #20,107 · 9 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #20,107
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH entropy

Nearest frequency peer: entropy (-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 “epitome”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “epitome” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

epitome vs episode
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for epitome
PropertyValue
Headwordepitome
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈpɪt.ə.mi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#20,107
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “epitome”

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).epitomelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “entropy” (#20,106), “ESA” (#20,108), “emancipation” (#20,105). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “epitome” is #20,107. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around epitome (IPA /əˈpɪt.ə.mi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,107 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for epitome, with forms such as "eiptome", "epiotme", and "epitmoe". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "episode", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French, from Latin epitomē, from Ancient Greek ἐπιτομή (epitomḗ, “an abridgment, also a surface-incision”), from ἐπιτέμνω (epitémnō, “I cut upon the surface, cut short, abridge”), from ἐπι- (epi-, “up”) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”). The correct English form is epitome, spelled E-P-I-T-O-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The embodiment or encapsulation of a class of items.
  2. 2
    A representative example.
  3. 3
    The height; the best; the most vivid.
  4. 4
    A brief summary of a text.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This is a poore Epitome of yours, / Which by th'interpretation of full time, / May ſhew like all your ſelfe.
  2. But first I took up Ayesha's kirtle and the gauzy scarf with which she had been wont to hide her dazzling loveliness from the eyes of men, and, averting my head so that I might not look upon it, covered up that dreadful relic of the glorious dead, that shocking epitome of human beauty and human life.

Etymology

From Middle French, from Latin epitomē, from Ancient Greek ἐπιτομή (epitomḗ, “an abridgment, also a surface-incision”), from ἐπιτέμνω (epitémnō, “I cut upon the surface, cut short, abridge”), from ἐπι- (epi-, “up”) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”).

Antonyms

antithesis

This word in other languages

epítome(Español)résumé(Français)Abriss(Deutsch)epítome(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eiptome
  • epiotme
  • epitmoe
  • epitoem
  • epitomme
  • epittome
  • eppitome
  • eptiome
  • peitome

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eiptome2epiotme2epitmoe2epitoem2epitomme1epittome1eppitome1eptiome2
Edit distance from "epitome"

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 "epitome"?
"epitome" is spelled E-P-I-T-O-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈpɪt.ə.mi/.
What does "epitome" mean?
As a noun, "epitome" means: The embodiment or encapsulation of a class of items.
What words are commonly confused with "epitome"?
"epitome" is commonly confused with "episode". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "epitome"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "epitome" is /əˈpɪt.ə.mi/. 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 "epitome"?
From Middle French, from Latin epitomē, from Ancient Greek ἐπιτομή (epitomḗ, “an abridgment, also a surface-incision”), from ἐπιτέμνω (epitémnō, “I cut upon the surface, cut short, abridge”), from ἐπι- (epi-, “up”) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”). 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 "epitome", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

entropy#20,106excused#20,111dreamer#20,099forearm#20,118

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

finder9 variantsDenton9 variantsdegrade9 variantsdashed9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list