pathogenic

/pæθəˈd͡ʒɛnɪk/

//pæθəˈd͡ʒɛnɪk// adj

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

"pathogenic" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pathogenic” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,531. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,531
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Able to cause (harmful) disease.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pathogenic · pathogenic · English

pathogenic · rank #30,531 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #30,531
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Patagonia

Nearest frequency peer: Patagonia (-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 “pathogenic”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pathogenic” 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).

pathogenic vs pathogen
80% similar

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

Key facts for pathogenic
PropertyValue
Headwordpathogenic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pæθəˈd͡ʒɛnɪk/
Letters10
Frequency rank#30,531
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pathogenic”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).pathogeniclands 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 “Patagonia” (#30,530), “peeking” (#30,532), “paprika” (#30,529). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pathogenic” is #30,531. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around pathogenic (IPA /pæθəˈd͡ʒɛnɪk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #30,531 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for pathogenic, with forms such as "apthogenic", "pahtogenic", and "pathgoenic". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "pathogen", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From patho- + -genic. The correct English form is pathogenic, spelled P-A-T-H-O-G-E-N-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Able to cause (harmful) disease.
  2. 2
    Consisting of harsh, percussive, nonverbal sounds.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. While the environment is teeming with bacteria and fungi, most are not pathogenic.
  2. Melogenic music represents the wide middle area between the extremes of logogenic and pathogenic music.

Etymology

From patho- + -genic.

This word in other languages

patógeno(Español)pathogène(Français)pathogen(Deutsch)patogénico(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apthogenic
  • pahtogenic
  • pathgoenic
  • pathhogenic
  • pathoegnic
  • pathogeinc
  • pathogenci
  • pathogenicc
  • pathogennic
  • pathoggenic
  • pathogneic
  • patohgenic
  • patthogenic
  • ppathogenic
  • ptahogenic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apthogenic2pahtogenic2pathgoenic2pathhogenic1pathoegnic2pathogeinc2pathogenci2pathogenicc1
Edit distance from "pathogenic"

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 "pathogenic"?
"pathogenic" is spelled P-A-T-H-O-G-E-N-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /pæθəˈd͡ʒɛnɪk/.
What does "pathogenic" mean?
As an adjective, "pathogenic" means: Able to cause (harmful) disease.
What words are commonly confused with "pathogenic"?
"pathogenic" is commonly confused with "pathogen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pathogenic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pathogenic" is /pæθəˈd͡ʒɛnɪk/. 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 "pathogenic"?
From patho- + -genic. 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 "pathogenic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

oscillator#30,524plasticity#30,538polymerase#30,540regressive#30,563

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

oscillation15 variantssisterhood15 variantssolubility15 variantsturntable15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list