patella
/pəˈtɛlə/
"patella" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“patella” is uncommon English (frequency #54,379 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #54,379
- frequency rank, English
- 46,516
- “P” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The sesamoid bone of the knee; the kneecap.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | patella |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /pəˈtɛlə/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #54,379 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “patella” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
patella is uncommon English at frequency #54,379 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pəˈtɛlə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
patella doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin patella (“a small pan or dish, a plate; the kneepan, patella”), diminutive of patina (“a broad shallow dish, pan”). Doublet of paella. The correct English form is patella, spelled P-A-T-E-L-L-A.
Definition
- 1The sesamoid bone of the knee; the kneecap.
- 2A little dish or vase.
- 3An orbicular sessile apothecium, with a marginal rim distinct from the thallus.
Etymology
From Latin patella (“a small pan or dish, a plate; the kneepan, patella”), diminutive of patina (“a broad shallow dish, pan”). Doublet of paella.
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
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Using “patella”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-A-T-E-L-L-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /pəˈtɛlə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.