hagiography

/ˌhæɡiˈɒɡɹəfi/

//ˌhæɡiˈɒɡɹəfi// noun

"hagiography" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hagiography” is uncommon English (frequency #85,318 among 23,837 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,318
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The study of saints and the documentation of their lives.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hagiography · hagiography · English

hagiography · rank #85,318 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,318
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 23,837
  • PHOTO-FINISH Guth

Nearest frequency peer: Guth (-2 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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “hagiography”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “hagiography” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for hagiography
PropertyValue
Headwordhagiography
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌhæɡiˈɒɡɹəfi/
Letters11
Frequency rank#85,318
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hagiography” 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). hagiography lands here:

#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

hagiography is uncommon English at frequency #85,318 among 23,837 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌhæɡiˈɒɡɹəfi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for hagiography, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From hagio- + -graphy. The correct English form is hagiography, spelled H-A-G-I-O-G-R-A-P-H-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The study of saints and the documentation of their lives.
  2. 2
    A biography of a saint.
  3. 3
    A biography which expresses reverence and respect for its subject.
  4. 4
    A biography which is uncritically supportive of its subject, often including embellishments or propaganda.

Etymology

From hagio- + -graphy.

This word in other languages

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hagiography"?
"hagiography" is spelled H-A-G-I-O-G-R-A-P-H-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌhæɡiˈɒɡɹəfi/.
What does "hagiography" mean?
As a noun, "hagiography" means: The study of saints and the documentation of their lives.
How do you pronounce "hagiography"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hagiography" is /ˌhæɡiˈɒɡɹəfi/. 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 "hagiography"?
From hagio- + -graphy. 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 "hagiography", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list