hecatomb
/ˈhɛkətuːm/
"hecatomb" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“hecatomb” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A great public sacrifice to the gods, originally of a hundred oxen; also, a great number of animals reserved for such a sacrifice.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | hecatomb |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈhɛkətuːm/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “hecatomb” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for hecatomb is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhɛkətuːm/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for hecatomb, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is a learned borrowing from Latin hecatombē (“great sacrifice of a hundred oxen, hecatomb”), from Ancient Greek ἑκατόμβη (hekatómbē, “great sacrifice of a hundred oxen, hecatomb; any animal sacrifice or large sacrifice”, from ἑκᾰτόν (hekătón, “hund… The correct English form is hecatomb, spelled H-E-C-A-T-O-M-B.
Definition
- 1A great public sacrifice to the gods, originally of a hundred oxen; also, a great number of animals reserved for such a sacrifice.
- 2A great public sacrifice in other religions; also, a great number of animals or people reserved for such a sacrifice.
- 3A great number of animals, people, or things that are sacrificed or destroyed; any great sacrifice; also (generally), a large amount.
Etymology
The noun is a learned borrowing from Latin hecatombē (“great sacrifice of a hundred oxen, hecatomb”), from Ancient Greek ἑκατόμβη (hekatómbē, “great sacrifice of a hundred oxen, hecatomb; any animal sacrifice or large sacrifice”, from ἑκᾰτόν (hekătón, “hundred”) + βοῦς (boûs, “cattle, cow, ox”)). The verb is derived from the noun.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “hecatomb”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-E-C-A-T-O-M-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈhɛkətuːm/ (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
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.