pater

Name: pater, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈpeɪtɚ/

//ˈpeɪtɚ// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“pater” is an uncommon English word, ranked #51,906 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#51,906
frequency rank, English: 5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Father.

Key facts for pater
Property	Value
Headword	pater
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈpeɪtɚ/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#51,906
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pater” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). pater lands here:

#51,906

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for pater is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpeɪtɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #51,906 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Father.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for pater, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₂-? Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr Proto-Italic *patēr Latin paterbor. English pater Borrowed from Latin pater (“father”). Doublet of ayr, faeder, father, padre, and père. The correct English form is pater, spelled P-A-T-E-R.

Definition

1
Father.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₂-? Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr Proto-Italic *patēr Latin paterbor. English pater Borrowed from Latin pater (“father”). Doublet of ayr, faeder, father, padre, and père.

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 "pater"?

"pater" is spelled P-A-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpeɪtɚ/.

What does "pater" mean?

As a noun, "pater" means: Father.

How do you pronounce "pater"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pater" is /ˈpeɪtɚ/. 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 "pater"?

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.

Using “pater”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is P-A-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈpeɪtɚ/ (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

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.