matriarchy

/ˈmeɪ.tɹiˌɑː.ki/

//ˈmeɪ.tɹiˌɑː.ki// noun

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

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

The verdict

“matriarchy” is uncommon English (frequency #89,608 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,608
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A social system in which the mother is head of household, having authority over men and children, and lineage is traced through the female line.

Corpus desk

Index EN-matriarchy · matriarchy · English

matriarchy · rank #89,608 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,608
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Mashhad

Nearest frequency peer: Mashhad (-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 “matriarchy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for matriarchy
PropertyValue
Headwordmatriarchy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmeɪ.tɹiˌɑː.ki/
Letters10
Frequency rank#89,608
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “matriarchy” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).matriarchyfalls 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: “Mashhad” (#89,607), “Matsuoka” (#89,609), “Marwood” (#89,606). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “matriarchy” is #89,608. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

matriarchy is uncommon English at frequency #89,608 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmeɪ.tɹiˌɑː.ki/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for matriarchy, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Coined after patriarchy, from Latin māter (“mother”) and Ancient Greek ἄρχω (árkhō, “I rule”). By surface analysis, matri- + -archy. The correct English form is matriarchy, spelled M-A-T-R-I-A-R-C-H-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A social system in which the mother is head of household, having authority over men and children, and lineage is traced through the female line.
  2. 2
    A system of government by females (particularly as a kind of polity).
  3. 3
    The dominance of women in social or cultural systems.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The difficulty is that when a man thinks of matriarchy, he thinks of a patriarchy with women in the place of men; he does not stop to consider that matriarchy may be a complete mirror-image. Where patriarchy establishes law, matriarchy establishes custom; where patriarchy establishes military power, matriarchy establishes religious authority; where patria…

Etymology

Coined after patriarchy, from Latin māter (“mother”) and Ancient Greek ἄρχω (árkhō, “I rule”). By surface analysis, matri- + -archy.

Synonyms

matriarchategynarchygynecocracy

Antonyms

patriarchy

This word in other languages

matriarcado(Español)matriarcat(Français)Matriarchat(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 "matriarchy"?
"matriarchy" is spelled M-A-T-R-I-A-R-C-H-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmeɪ.tɹiˌɑː.ki/.
What does "matriarchy" mean?
As a noun, "matriarchy" means: A social system in which the mother is head of household, having authority over men and children, and lineage is traced through the female line.
How do you pronounce "matriarchy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "matriarchy" is /ˈmeɪ.tɹiˌɑː.ki/. 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 "matriarchy"?
Coined after patriarchy, from Latin māter (“mother”) and Ancient Greek ἄρχω (árkhō, “I rule”). By surface analysis, matri- + -archy. 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 "matriarchy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

malcontent#89,589Macdonnell#89,578misapplied#89,639livability#89,557

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list