metropolis

/mɪˈtɹɒp.ə.lɪs/

//mɪˈtɹɒp.ə.lɪs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“metropolis” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,565. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,565
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The mother (founding) polis (city state) of a colony.

Corpus desk

Index EN-metropolis · metropolis · English

metropolis · rank #13,565 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,565
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH McCoy

Nearest frequency peer: McCoy (-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 “metropolis”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “metropolis” 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 metropolis
PropertyValue
Headwordmetropolis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɪˈtɹɒp.ə.lɪs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#13,565
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “metropolis”

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).metropolislands 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 “McCoy” (#13,564), “Mohamed” (#13,566), “mats” (#13,563). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “metropolis” is #13,565. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around metropolis (IPA /mɪˈtɹɒp.ə.lɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,565 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for metropolis, with forms such as "emtropolis", "mertopolis", and "metorpolis". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Late Latin mētropolis, from Ancient Greek μητρόπολις (mētrópolis, “mother city”), from μήτηρ (mḗtēr, “mother”) + πόλις (pólis, “city (state)”). By surface analysis, metro- + -polis. Doublet of metropole. The correct English form is metropolis, spelled M-E-T-R-O-P-O-L-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The mother (founding) polis (city state) of a colony.
  2. 2
    A large, busy city, especially as the main city in an area or country or as distinguished from surrounding rural areas.
  3. 3
    The see of a metropolitan bishop, ranking above its suffragan diocesan bishops.
  4. 4
    A generic focus in the distribution of plants or animals.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Colonies certainly did not become "clones" of their metropolises, but it is equally false that their colonial heritages were not influenced by the organization of the metropolises.
  2. Holonym: metropolitan area

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin mētropolis, from Ancient Greek μητρόπολις (mētrópolis, “mother city”), from μήτηρ (mḗtēr, “mother”) + πόλις (pólis, “city (state)”). By surface analysis, metro- + -polis. Doublet of metropole.

This word in other languages

urbe(Español)métropole(Français)Metropole(Deutsch)metrópole(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emtropolis
  • mertopolis
  • metorpolis
  • metrooplis
  • metroplois
  • metropoils
  • metropoliss
  • metropollis
  • metropolsi
  • metroppolis
  • metrpoolis
  • metrropolis
  • mettropolis
  • mmetropolis
  • mteropolis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of metropolis - 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.

emtropolis2mertopolis2metorpolis2metrooplis2metroplois2metropoils2metropoliss1metropollis1
Edit distance from "metropolis"

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 "metropolis"?
"metropolis" is spelled M-E-T-R-O-P-O-L-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪˈtɹɒp.ə.lɪs/.
What does "metropolis" mean?
As a noun, "metropolis" means: The mother (founding) polis (city state) of a colony.
What are common misspellings of "metropolis"?
Common misspellings include "emtropolis", "mertopolis", "metorpolis", "metrooplis", "metroplois". The correct spelling is "metropolis".
How do you pronounce "metropolis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "metropolis" is /mɪˈtɹɒp.ə.lɪs/. 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 "metropolis"?
Borrowed from Late Latin mētropolis, from Ancient Greek μητρόπολις (mētrópolis, “mother city”), from μήτηρ (mḗtēr, “mother”) + πόλις (pólis, “city (state)”). By surface analysis, metro- + -polis. Doublet of metropole. 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 "metropolis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Luxembourg#13,558Kazakhstan#13,552paragraphs#13,578procession#13,589

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

relocation15 variantssanitation15 variantsGeorgetown15 variantsbrightness15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list