patella

/pəˈtɛlə/

//pəˈtɛlə// noun

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

"patella" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“patella” is uncommon English (frequency #54,379 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,379
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The sesamoid bone of the knee; the kneecap.

Corpus desk

Index EN-patella · patella · English

patella · rank #54,379 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,379
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH parfait

Nearest frequency peer: parfait (-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 “patella”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for patella
PropertyValue
Headwordpatella
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pəˈtɛlə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#54,379
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “patella” in English

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).patellafalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “parfait” (#54,378), “paralytic” (#54,377), “pattie” (#54,381). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “patella” is #54,379. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

patella is uncommon English at frequency #54,379 among 4,417 “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

  1. 1
    The sesamoid bone of the knee; the kneecap.
  2. 2
    A little dish or vase.
  3. 3
    An orbicular sessile apothecium, with a marginal rim distinct from the thallus.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Subluxed patellas, more commonly referred to as slipped stifles, like all inherited factors will continue to cripple a breed as long as breeders continue to mate affected animals.
  2. 2005, Roger E. Stevenson, 20: Limbs, Roger E. Stevenson, Judith G. Hall, Human Malformations and Related Anomalies, page 920, Since patella diameter is a feature of continuous variation, the majority of small patellas represent simply the lower extreme of normal anatomic variation.

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.

Synonyms

kneecapkneepanrotula

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 "patella"?
"patella" is spelled P-A-T-E-L-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /pəˈtɛlə/.
What does "patella" mean?
As a noun, "patella" means: The sesamoid bone of the knee; the kneecap.
How do you pronounce "patella"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "patella" is /pəˈtɛlə/. 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 "patella"?
From Latin patella (“a small pan or dish, a plate; the kneepan, patella”), diminutive of patina (“a broad shallow dish, pan”). Doublet of paella. 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 "patella", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

parfait#54,378oxidant#54,371petunia#54,395ponting#54,401

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list