epoch

/ˈiːpɒk/

//ˈiːpɒk// noun

"epoch" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“epoch” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,662. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,662
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A particular period of history, or of a person's life, especially one considered noteworthy or remarkable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-epoch · epoch · English

epoch · rank #22,662 · 7 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,662
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH entourage

Nearest frequency peer: entourage (-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 “epoch”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “epoch” 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).

epoch vs etch
60% similar
epoch vs epoxy
60% similar
epoch vs Erich
40% similar

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

Key facts for epoch
PropertyValue
Headwordepoch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈiːpɒk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#22,662
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “epoch”

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).epochlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “entourage” (#22,661), “evo” (#22,663), “enclave” (#22,660). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “epoch” is #22,662. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around epoch (IPA /ˈiːpɒk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,662 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for epoch, with forms such as "eopch", "epcoh", and "epocch". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "etch", "epoxy", "Erich", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Medieval Latin epocha, from Ancient Greek ἐποχή (epokhḗ, “a check, cessation, stop, pause, epoch of a star, i.e., the point at which it seems to halt after reaching the highest, and generally the place of a star; hence, a historical epoch”), from ἐπέχω… The correct English form is epoch, spelled E-P-O-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A particular period of history, or of a person's life, especially one considered noteworthy or remarkable.
  2. 2
    A notable event which marks the beginning of such a period.
  3. 3
    A specific instant in time, chosen as the point of reference or zero value of a system that involves identifying instants of time.
  4. 4
    A geochronologic unit of hundreds of thousands to millions of years; a subdivision of a period, and subdivided into ages (or sometimes subepochs).
  5. 5
    One complete presentation of the training data set to an iterative machine learning algorithm.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I grew bitter in my words—I believed the worst of everyone; nay, I sometimes doubted the affection of my kind, my indulgent parents. But let me hastily pass over this vain and profitless epoch,—the fierce tempest, and the weary calm, were but the appointed means by which I reached the harbour of faith and rest.
  2. And it occasionally happens that a period in which one had, hitherto, been mainly looking for the coming to birth of new things, suddenly reveals itself as an epoch of fading and decay.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin epocha, from Ancient Greek ἐποχή (epokhḗ, “a check, cessation, stop, pause, epoch of a star, i.e., the point at which it seems to halt after reaching the highest, and generally the place of a star; hence, a historical epoch”), from ἐπέχω (epékhō, “I hold in, check”), from ἐπι- (epi-, “upon”) + ἔχω (ékhō, “I have, hold”). Doublet of epoche.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eopch
  • epcoh
  • epocch
  • epochh
  • epohc
  • eppoch
  • peoch

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eopch2epcoh2epocch1epochh1epohc2eppoch1peoch2
Edit distance from "epoch"

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 "epoch"?
"epoch" is spelled E-P-O-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈiːpɒk/.
What does "epoch" mean?
As a noun, "epoch" means: A particular period of history, or of a person's life, especially one considered noteworthy or remarkable.
What words are commonly confused with "epoch"?
"epoch" is commonly confused with "etch", "epoxy", "Erich". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "epoch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "epoch" is /ˈiːpɒk/. 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 "epoch"?
From Medieval Latin epocha, from Ancient Greek ἐποχή (epokhḗ, “a check, cessation, stop, pause, epoch of a star, i.e., the point at which it seems to halt after reaching the highest, and generally the place of a star; hence, a historical epoch”), ... 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 "epoch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list