metaphysics
/mɛtəˈfɪzɪks/
"metaphysics" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“metaphysics” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #26,166 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #26,166
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 18
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The branch of philosophy which studies fundamental principles intended to describe or explain all that is, and which are not themselves explained by anything more fundamental; the study of first pr...
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 | metaphysics |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /mɛtəˈfɪzɪks/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #26,166 |
| Misspellings tracked | 18 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “metaphysics” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for metaphysics is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɛtəˈfɪzɪks/. Corpus data places it at rank #26,166 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for metaphysics, with forms such as "emtaphysics", "meatphysics", and "metahpysics". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "metaphysical", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: 1560s; plural of metaphysic, from Middle English methaphesik, methaphisik, methaphisique, metaphesyk, methafisik, metaphesyk, methephysyk, from Old French metafisique, methaphisique and Medieval Latin metaphysica, methephisica, from Byzantine Greek μεταφυσι… The correct English form is metaphysics, spelled M-E-T-A-P-H-Y-S-I-C-S.
Definition
- 1The branch of philosophy which studies fundamental principles intended to describe or explain all that is, and which are not themselves explained by anything more fundamental; the study of first principles; the study of being insofar as it is being (Latin: ens in quantum ens).
- 2The view or theory of a particular philosopher or school of thinkers concerning the first principles which describe or explain all that is.
- 3The metalogic of physics; the logical framework of physics.
- 4Any fundamental principles or rules.
- 5The study of a supersensual realm or of phenomena which transcend the physical world.
- 6Displeasingly abstruse, complex material on any subject.
Etymology
1560s; plural of metaphysic, from Middle English methaphesik, methaphisik, methaphisique, metaphesyk, methafisik, metaphesyk, methephysyk, from Old French metafisique, methaphisique and Medieval Latin metaphysica, methephisica, from Byzantine Greek μεταφυσικά (metaphusiká), from the title of the collection by Aristotle μετὰ τὰ φυσικά (metà tà phusiká, “Following The Natural World”), a collection that comes after (μετά (metá)) Aristotle's collection entitled τὰ φυσικά (tà phusiká, “The Natural World”), from φυσικός (phusikós, “natural”). By surface analysis, meta- + physics.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: emtaphysics,meatphysics,metahpysics,metaphhysics,metaphsyics,metaphyiscs,metaphyscis,metaphysiccs,metaphysicss,metaphysisc,metaphyssics,metaphyysics,metapphysics,metapyhsics,metpahysics,mettaphysics,mmetaphysics,mteaphysics
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of metaphysics - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 “metaphysics”
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-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /mɛtəˈfɪzɪks/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “metaphysical” - see the side-by-side comparison. metaphysics vs metaphysical
- 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.