metaphysical
/ˌmɛtəˈfɪzɪkəl/
"metaphysical" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“metaphysical” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,867 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #21,867
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 19
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or pertaining to metaphysics.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | metaphysical |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌmɛtəˈfɪzɪkəl/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #21,867 |
| Misspellings tracked | 19 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “metaphysical” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for metaphysical is 12 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌmɛtəˈfɪzɪkəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,867 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for metaphysical, with forms such as "emtaphysical", "meatphysical", and "metahpysical". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "metaphysics", "metaphorical", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English metaphisicalle, methafisical, from Medieval Latin metaphysicālis. By surface analysis, meta- + physical. The correct English form is metaphysical, spelled M-E-T-A-P-H-Y-S-I-C-A-L.
Definition
- 1Of or pertaining to metaphysics.
- 2Being an adherent of the philosophy of metaphysics.
- 3Immaterial, supersensual, beyond the physical.
Etymology
From Middle English metaphisicalle, methafisical, from Medieval Latin metaphysicālis. By surface analysis, meta- + physical.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: emtaphysical,meatphysical,metahpysical,metaphhysical,metaphsyical,metaphyiscal,metaphyscial,metaphysiacl,metaphysicall,metaphysiccal,metaphysicla,metaphyssical,metaphyysical,metapphysical,metapyhsical,metpahysical,mettaphysical,mmetaphysical,mteaphysical
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of metaphysical - 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.
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
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Using “metaphysical”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-E-T-A-P-H-Y-S-I-C-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌmɛtəˈfɪzɪkəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “metaphysics” - see the side-by-side comparison. metaphysical vs metaphysics
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.