pathetic
/pəˈθɛtɪk/
"pathetic" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pathetic” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,995 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #5,995
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Arousing pity, sympathy, or compassion; exciting pathos.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pathetic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /pəˈθɛtɪk/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #5,995 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pathetic” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for pathetic is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pəˈθɛtɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,995 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for pathetic, with forms such as "apthetic", "pahtetic", and "patehtic". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French pathétique, from Latin patheticus, from Ancient Greek παθητικός (pathētikós, “subject to feeling, capable of feeling, impassioned”), from παθητός (pathētós, “one who has suffered, subject to suffering”), from πάσχω (páskhō, “to suffer”). The correct English form is pathetic, spelled P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C.
Definition
- 1Arousing pity, sympathy, or compassion; exciting pathos.
- 2Arousing scorn or contempt, often due to miserable inadequacy.
- 3Expressing or showing anger; passionate.
- 4Trochlear.
Etymology
From Middle French pathétique, from Latin patheticus, from Ancient Greek παθητικός (pathētikós, “subject to feeling, capable of feeling, impassioned”), from παθητός (pathētós, “one who has suffered, subject to suffering”), from πάσχω (páskhō, “to suffer”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: apthetic,pahtetic,patehtic,patheitc,pathetci,patheticc,pathettic,pathhetic,pathteic,patthetic,ppathetic,ptahetic
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pathetic - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 “pathetic”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /pəˈθɛtɪk/ (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.