orthodox

/ˈɔːθədɒks/

//ˈɔːθədɒks// adj

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

"orthodox" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“orthodox” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,952. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,952
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Conforming to the accepted, established, or traditional doctrines of a given faith, religion, or ideology.

Corpus desk

Index EN-orthodox · orthodox · English

orthodox · rank #7,952 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,952
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH offended

Nearest frequency peer: offended (-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 “orthodox”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “orthodox” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

orthodox vs orthodoxy
89% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for orthodox
PropertyValue
Headwordorthodox
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɔːθədɒks/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,952
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “orthodox”

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).orthodoxlands 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 “offended” (#7,951), “overhead” (#7,953), “occupy” (#7,950). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “orthodox” is #7,952. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around orthodox (IPA /ˈɔːθədɒks/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #7,952 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for orthodox, with forms such as "orhtodox", "orrthodox", and "orthdoox". 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, "orthodoxy", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English orthodoxe, from Middle French orthodoxe and its etymon Late Latin orthodoxus, from Ancient Greek ὀρθόδοξος (orthódoxos), from ὀρθός (orthós, “straight”) + δόξα (dóxa, “opinion”). The correct English form is orthodox, spelled O-R-T-H-O-D-O-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    Conforming to the accepted, established, or traditional doctrines of a given faith, religion, or ideology.
  2. 2
    Adhering to whatever is customary, traditional, or generally accepted.
  3. 3
    Of the eastern churches, Eastern Orthodox.
  4. 4
    Of a branch of Judaism.
  5. 5
    Of pollen, seed, or spores: viable for a long time; viable when dried to low moisture content.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Five important modifications were made by the Pietists to the orthodox doctrine of justification, each corresponding to a distinctive aspect of the movement's agenda.
  2. ‘These speakers are academics who have specialised in Islamic sciences and are well respected in scholarly circles. It is grossly unjust to suggest that they belong to some fringe ideology rather than orthodox Islam.’

Etymology

From Late Middle English orthodoxe, from Middle French orthodoxe and its etymon Late Latin orthodoxus, from Ancient Greek ὀρθόδοξος (orthódoxos), from ὀρθός (orthós, “straight”) + δόξα (dóxa, “opinion”).

Synonyms

halalhomodoxkosherorthodoxby the bookallowedconventionalcorrectcustomaryexpectednaturalnormalofficialproperrightfulstandardtraditionaltrue

Antonyms

liberaloutlandishunconventionalunorthodox

This word in other languages

ortodoxo(Español)orthodoxe(Français)orthodox(Deutsch)ortodoxo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • orhtodox
  • orrthodox
  • orthdoox
  • orthhodox
  • orthoddox
  • orthodoxx
  • orthodxo
  • orthoodx
  • ortohdox
  • ortthodox
  • otrhodox
  • rothodox

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of orthodox - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

orhtodox2orrthodox1orthdoox2orthhodox1orthoddox1orthodoxx1orthodxo2orthoodx2
Edit distance from "orthodox"

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 "orthodox"?
"orthodox" is spelled O-R-T-H-O-D-O-X. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɔːθədɒks/.
What does "orthodox" mean?
As an adjective, "orthodox" means: Conforming to the accepted, established, or traditional doctrines of a given faith, religion, or ideology.
What words are commonly confused with "orthodox"?
"orthodox" is commonly confused with "orthodoxy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "orthodox"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "orthodox" is /ˈɔːθədɒks/. 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 "orthodox"?
From Late Middle English orthodoxe, from Middle French orthodoxe and its etymon Late Latin orthodoxus, from Ancient Greek ὀρθόδοξος (orthódoxos), from ὀρθός (orthós, “straight”) + δόξα (dóxa, “opinion”). 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 "orthodox", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

offended#7,951overhead#7,953minerals#7,942regiment#7,965

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

incoming12 variantssecuring12 variantsspeeches12 variantssteering12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list