metropolitan

/mɛtɹəˈpɒlɪtən/

//mɛtɹəˈpɒlɪtən// noun

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

"metropolitan" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“metropolitan” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,339. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,339
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
18
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A bishop empowered to oversee other bishops; an archbishop.

Corpus desk

Index EN-metropolitan · metropolitan · English

metropolitan · rank #5,339 · 18 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,339
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mines

Nearest frequency peer: mines (+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 “metropolitan”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “metropolitan” 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 metropolitan
PropertyValue
Headwordmetropolitan
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɛtɹəˈpɒlɪtən/
Letters12
Frequency rank#5,339
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “metropolitan”

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).metropolitanlands 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 “mines” (#5,340), “liver” (#5,337), “mixture” (#5,341). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “metropolitan” is #5,339. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around metropolitan (IPA /mɛtɹəˈpɒlɪtən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,339 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for metropolitan, with forms such as "emtropolitan", "mertopolitan", and "metorpolitan". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin metropolitanus, from Ancient Greek μητροπολίτης (mētropolítēs). The correct English form is metropolitan, spelled M-E-T-R-O-P-O-L-I-T-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A bishop empowered to oversee other bishops; an archbishop.
  2. 2
    The inhabitant of a metropolis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I knovv God by Miracle can inſtruct Kings, as he rained Mannah, and raiſed the Apoſtles from letterless Fiſher-men, to learned Metropolitans, and profound Doctours.
  2. Yet from the late thirteenth century the metropolitan based himself either in Moscow or Vladimir-on-the-Kliazma, which was also in Muscovite territory, and it became the ambition of the Muscovites to make this arrangement permanent.

Etymology

From Late Latin metropolitanus, from Ancient Greek μητροπολίτης (mētropolítēs).

This word in other languages

metropolitano(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emtropolitan
  • mertopolitan
  • metorpolitan
  • metrooplitan
  • metroploitan
  • metropoiltan
  • metropoliatn
  • metropolitann
  • metropolitna
  • metropolittan
  • metropollitan
  • metropoltian
  • metroppolitan
  • metrpoolitan
  • metrropolitan
  • mettropolitan
  • mmetropolitan
  • mteropolitan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emtropolitan2mertopolitan2metorpolitan2metrooplitan2metroploitan2metropoiltan2metropoliatn2metropolitann1
Edit distance from "metropolitan"

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 "metropolitan"?
"metropolitan" is spelled M-E-T-R-O-P-O-L-I-T-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /mɛtɹəˈpɒlɪtən/.
What does "metropolitan" mean?
As a noun, "metropolitan" means: A bishop empowered to oversee other bishops; an archbishop.
What are common misspellings of "metropolitan"?
Common misspellings include "emtropolitan", "mertopolitan", "metorpolitan", "metrooplitan", "metroploitan". The correct spelling is "metropolitan".
How do you pronounce "metropolitan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "metropolitan" is /mɛtɹəˈpɒlɪtən/. 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 "metropolitan"?
From Late Latin metropolitanus, from Ancient Greek μητροπολίτης (mētropolítēs). 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 "metropolitan", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

significance#5,363corporations#5,406surveillance#5,456Christianity#5,199

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

congressional18 variantsincorporated18 variantstransaction18 variantsmanufacturer18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list