heterodox
/ˈhɛt.ɚ.əˌdɑks/adjective
heterodox is spelled H-E-T-E-R-O-D-O-X: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, heterodox means “Of or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings, especially religious ones, that are different from what a religion (or sect) believes to be…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in heterodox?
| Letters | 9: H-E-T-E-R-O-D-O-X |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 64,400th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is heterodox?
Heterodox appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce heterodox?
- UK /ˈhɛt.(ə.)ɹəˌdɒks/
- US /ˈhɛt.ɚ.əˌdɑks/
Heterodox has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-heterodox.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What does heterodox mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings, especially religious ones, that are different from what a religion (or sect) believes to be orthodox, but (usually) not conflicting with that religion's established beliefs and therefore not heretical.
Most Christian denominations consider each other heterodox.
- 2
Beliefs contrary to the general consensus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Heterodox in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the no:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hétérodoxe |
| German | heterodox |
| Portuguese | heterodoxo |
| Spanish | heterodoxo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does heterodox come from?
From Ancient Greek ἑτερόδοξος (heteródoxos), from ἕτερος (héteros, “other, another, different”) + δόξα (dóxa, “opinion”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).