idolatry

/aɪˈdɒl.ə.tɹi/

//aɪˈdɒl.ə.tɹi// noun

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

"idolatry" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“idolatry” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,185. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,185
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The worship of idols.

Corpus desk

Index EN-idolatry · idolatry · English

idolatry · rank #36,185 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,185
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH idling

Nearest frequency peer: idling (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “idolatry”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “idolatry” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for idolatry
PropertyValue
Headwordidolatry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/aɪˈdɒl.ə.tɹi/
Letters8
Frequency rank#36,185
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “idolatry”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).idolatrylands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “idling” (#36,184), “icebreaker” (#36,183), “Ibadan” (#36,182). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “idolatry” is #36,185. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around idolatry (IPA /aɪˈdɒl.ə.tɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,185 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for idolatry, with forms such as "diolatry", "iddolatry", and "idloatry". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English ydolatrie, from Old French idolatrie, from Ecclesiastical Latin īdōlatrīa, from Late Latin īdōlolatrīa, from Ancient Greek εἰδωλολατρίᾱ (eidōlolatríā, “worship of idols”), back-formation from εἰδωλολάτρης (eidōlolátrēs), from ε… The correct English form is idolatry, spelled I-D-O-L-A-T-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The worship of idols.
  2. 2
    The excessive admiration of somebody or something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The parish stank of idolatry, abominable rites were practiced in secret, and in all the bounds there was no one had a more evil name for the black traffic than one Alison Sempill, who bode at the Skerburnfoot.
  2. Now the great obstacle in tracing the identity of any of the basic forms of worship lies in the vast number of names which appear in the ancient idolatries and mythologies, creating the illusion of a miscellany of gods, whereas many of these different names refer to the same deity. Thus the sun has been personified and worshipped under as many different n…

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English ydolatrie, from Old French idolatrie, from Ecclesiastical Latin īdōlatrīa, from Late Latin īdōlolatrīa, from Ancient Greek εἰδωλολατρίᾱ (eidōlolatríā, “worship of idols”), back-formation from εἰδωλολάτρης (eidōlolátrēs), from εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “idol”) & λάτρις (látris, “worshipper”) or λατρεύω (latreúō, “I worship”), from λάτρον (látron, “payment”). Equivalent to idol + -latry. Cognate with Modern French idolâtrie, Italian idolatria, Occitan ydolatria, Portuguese idolatria, and Spanish idolatría. Displaced native Old English dēofolġield (literally “devil worship”).

This word in other languages

idolatría(Español)idolâtrie(Français)Abgötterei(Deutsch)veneração(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • diolatry
  • iddolatry
  • idloatry
  • idoaltry
  • idolarty
  • idolatrry
  • idolatryy
  • idolattry
  • idolatyr
  • idollatry
  • idoltary
  • iodlatry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of idolatry - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

diolatry2iddolatry1idloatry2idoaltry2idolarty2idolatrry1idolatryy1idolattry1
Edit distance from "idolatry"

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 "idolatry"?
"idolatry" is spelled I-D-O-L-A-T-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /aɪˈdɒl.ə.tɹi/.
What does "idolatry" mean?
As a noun, "idolatry" means: The worship of idols.
What are common misspellings of "idolatry"?
Common misspellings include "diolatry", "iddolatry", "idloatry", "idoaltry", "idolarty". The correct spelling is "idolatry".
How do you pronounce "idolatry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "idolatry" is /aɪˈdɒl.ə.tɹi/. 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 "idolatry"?
Inherited from Middle English ydolatrie, from Old French idolatrie, from Ecclesiastical Latin īdōlatrīa, from Late Latin īdōlolatrīa, from Ancient Greek εἰδωλολατρίᾱ (eidōlolatríā, “worship of idols”), back-formation from εἰδωλολάτρης (eidōlolátrē... 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 "idolatry", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fumbling#36,152Freudian#36,149leniency#36,221frenzied#36,148

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Luftwaffe12 variantsfeverish12 variantsMalhotra12 variantsmalleable12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list