iconoclasm

/aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm/

//aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm// noun

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

"iconoclasm" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“iconoclasm” is uncommon English (frequency #80,549 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,549
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives.

Corpus desk

Index EN-iconoclasm · iconoclasm · English

iconoclasm · rank #80,549 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,549
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH hussar

Nearest frequency peer: hussar (-3 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 “iconoclasm”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for iconoclasm
PropertyValue
Headwordiconoclasm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm/
Letters10
Frequency rank#80,549
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “iconoclasm” 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).iconoclasmfalls 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: “hussar” (#80,546), “hunny” (#80,545), “Hsia” (#80,542). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “iconoclasm” is #80,549. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

iconoclasm is uncommon English at frequency #80,549 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for iconoclasm in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From iconoclast. The correct English form is iconoclasm, spelled I-C-O-N-O-C-L-A-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives.
  2. 2
    A challenge to a widely held belief, tradition or cherished institution.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Finally, “iconoclasm” is a form of desecration and shares its general intention to deny the sacred qualities of an image and to demonstrate that it has no power, to prevent it from being treated as an idol or a rival to God.¹⁴ But not all forms of desecration constitute iconoclasm, though iconoclasm is always a form of desecration.

Etymology

From iconoclast.

This word in other languages

iconoclasme(Français)Ikonoklasmus(Deutsch)

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 "iconoclasm"?
"iconoclasm" is spelled I-C-O-N-O-C-L-A-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm/.
What does "iconoclasm" mean?
As a noun, "iconoclasm" means: The belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives.
How do you pronounce "iconoclasm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "iconoclasm" is /aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm/. 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 "iconoclasm"?
From iconoclast. 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 "iconoclasm", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hereabouts#80,528livingroom#80,622furosemide#80,470figuration#80,454

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list