heterodox

/ˈhɛt.(ə.)ɹəˌdɒks/

//ˈhɛt.(ə.)ɹəˌdɒks// adj

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

"heterodox" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“heterodox” is uncommon English (frequency #64,422 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,422
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - 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 reli...

Corpus desk

Index EN-heterodox · heterodox · English

heterodox · rank #64,422 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,422
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hev

Nearest frequency peer: hev (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “heterodox”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “heterodox” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for heterodox
PropertyValue
Headwordheterodox
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈhɛt.(ə.)ɹəˌdɒks/
Letters9
Frequency rank#64,422
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “heterodox” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).heterodoxfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “hev” (#64,423), “heptathlon” (#64,420), “highwayman” (#64,424). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “heterodox” is #64,422. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

heterodox is uncommon English at frequency #64,422 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈhɛt.(ə.)ɹəˌdɒks/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "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 reli...".

No misspelling variants are generated for heterodox in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek ἑτερόδοξος (heteródoxos), from ἕτερος (héteros, “other, another, different”) + δόξα (dóxa, “opinion”). The correct English form is heterodox, spelled H-E-T-E-R-O-D-O-X.

Definition

  1. 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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Most Christian denominations consider each other heterodox.
  2. Do you believe such people are happy in the other world, sir? {...} I declined answering Mrs. Dean’s question, which struck me as something heterodox.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἑτερόδοξος (heteródoxos), from ἕτερος (héteros, “other, another, different”) + δόξα (dóxa, “opinion”).

Antonyms

orthodoxhomodox

This word in other languages

heterodoxo(Español)hétérodoxe(Français)heterodox(Deutsch)heterodoxo(Português)

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 "heterodox"?
"heterodox" is spelled H-E-T-E-R-O-D-O-X. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛt.(ə.)ɹəˌdɒks/.
What does "heterodox" mean?
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 orthodox, but (usually) not conflicting with that reli...
How do you pronounce "heterodox"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "heterodox" is /ˈhɛt.(ə.)ɹəˌdɒks/. 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 "heterodox"?
From Ancient Greek ἑτερόδοξος (heteródoxos), from ἕτερος (héteros, “other, another, different”) + δόξα (dóxa, “opinion”). 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 "heterodox", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hemolytic#64,419Hutcheson#64,431ignoramus#64,435Ghaziabad#64,400

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list