iconoclasm

Name: iconoclasm, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm/

//aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“iconoclasm” is uncommon English (frequency #80,549 among 17,902 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,549
frequency rank, English: 17,902
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives.

Key facts for iconoclasm
Property	Value
Headword	iconoclasm
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm/
Letters	10
Frequency rank	#80,549
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “iconoclasm” 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). iconoclasm lands here:

#80,549

#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

iconoclasm is uncommon English at frequency #80,549 among 17,902 “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
The belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives.
2
A challenge to a widely held belief, tradition or cherished institution.

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.

Using “iconoclasm”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is I-C-O-N-O-C-L-A-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this 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.