metempsychosis

/mɛtəmsʌɪˈkəʊsɪs/

//mɛtəmsʌɪˈkəʊsɪs// noun

"metempsychosis" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“metempsychosis” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Transmigration of the soul, especially its reincarnation after death.

Corpus desk

Index EN-metempsychosis · metempsychosis · English

metempsychosis · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for metempsychosis
PropertyValue
Headwordmetempsychosis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɛtəmsʌɪˈkəʊsɪs/
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “metempsychosis” in English

metempsychosissits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

metempsychosis is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /mɛtəmsʌɪˈkəʊsɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Transmigration of the soul, especially its reincarnation after death.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for metempsychosis, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin metempsychosis, from Koine Greek μετεμψύχωσις (metempsúkhōsis). The correct English form is metempsychosis, spelled M-E-T-E-M-P-S-Y-C-H-O-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Transmigration of the soul, especially its reincarnation after death.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Pythagoras borrowed Metempsychosis of the Ægyptians, but since, it hath been received of divers Nations, and especially of our Druides[…].
  2. The Fates that are so careful to shut the doors of each successive life behind us had, in this case, been neglectful, and Charlie was looking, though that he did not know, where never man had been permitted to look with full knowledge since Time began. Above all he was absolutely ignorant of the knowledge sold to me for five pounds; and he would retain th…

Etymology

From Late Latin metempsychosis, from Koine Greek μετεμψύχωσις (metempsúkhōsis).

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "metempsychosis"?
"metempsychosis" is spelled M-E-T-E-M-P-S-Y-C-H-O-S-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /mɛtəmsʌɪˈkəʊsɪs/.
What does "metempsychosis" mean?
As a noun, "metempsychosis" means: Transmigration of the soul, especially its reincarnation after death.
How do you pronounce "metempsychosis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "metempsychosis" is /mɛtəmsʌɪˈkəʊsɪs/. 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 "metempsychosis"?
From Late Latin metempsychosis, from Koine Greek μετεμψύχωσις (metempsúkhōsis). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list