necropolis

/nɛˈkɹɒpəlɪs/

//nɛˈkɹɒpəlɪs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“necropolis” is uncommon English (frequency #56,312 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,312
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cemetery; especially a large one in or near a city.

Corpus desk

Index EN-necropolis · necropolis · English

necropolis · rank #56,312 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,312
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH negligently

Nearest frequency peer: negligently (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “necropolis”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “necropolis” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for necropolis
PropertyValue
Headwordnecropolis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/nɛˈkɹɒpəlɪs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#56,312
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “necropolis” in English

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).necropolisfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “negligently” (#56,313), “Newgate” (#56,316), “mycelium” (#56,307). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “necropolis” is #56,312. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

necropolis is uncommon English at frequency #56,312 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /nɛˈkɹɒpəlɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

necropolis doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Koine Greek νεκρόπολις (nekrópolis, “city of the dead, cemetery”) (used to describe part of the city of Alexandria, Egypt), from Ancient Greek νεκρός (nekrós, “dead”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- (“to disappear; to perish”)) + πό… The correct English form is necropolis, spelled N-E-C-R-O-P-O-L-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cemetery; especially a large one in or near a city.
  2. 2
    An ancient site used for burying the dead, particularly if consisting of elaborate grave monuments.
  3. 3
    A city or settlement where most people are dead and/or dying.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In Turkey, the tombs, according to the custom of the ancients, are always without the towns; and as each tomb has uſually a large ſtone, and ſome maſonry, they conſtitute what may almoſt be called a ſecond town, which may be named, as formerly at Alexandria, Necropolis, or the city of the dead.
  2. It was a lovely morning, as I said, and the Turks, who are early risers, were sitting on the graves of their kindred with their veiled wives and children, the marble turbans in that thickly-sown nekropolis less numerous than those of the living, who had come, not to mourn the dead who lay beneath, but to pass a day of idleness and pleasure on the spot end…

Etymology

Borrowed from Koine Greek νεκρόπολις (nekrópolis, “city of the dead, cemetery”) (used to describe part of the city of Alexandria, Egypt), from Ancient Greek νεκρός (nekrós, “dead”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- (“to disappear; to perish”)) + πόλις (pólis, “city”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tpelH- (“city; fortification”)). The English word is analysable as necro- + -polis, and is cognate with French nécropole, German Nekropolis, Late Latin necropolis. The plural form necropoleis is derived from Ancient Greek νεκροπόλεις (nekropóleis).

This word in other languages

necrópolis(Español)nécropole(Français)Nekropole(Deutsch)necrópole(Português)

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 "necropolis"?
"necropolis" is spelled N-E-C-R-O-P-O-L-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /nɛˈkɹɒpəlɪs/.
What does "necropolis" mean?
As a noun, "necropolis" means: A cemetery; especially a large one in or near a city.
How do you pronounce "necropolis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "necropolis" is /nɛˈkɹɒpəlɪs/. 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 "necropolis"?
Borrowed from Koine Greek νεκρόπολις (nekrópolis, “city of the dead, cemetery”) (used to describe part of the city of Alexandria, Egypt), from Ancient Greek νεκρός (nekrós, “dead”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *neḱ- (“to disappear; to peri... 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 "necropolis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

mortifying#56,296offloading#56,334ministered#56,289Matterhorn#56,272

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list