pathology

/pəˈθɒləd͡ʒi/

//pəˈθɒləd͡ʒi// noun

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

"pathology" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pathology” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,582. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,582
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The study of the nature of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences; now usually and especially in the clinical and academic medicine subsenses defined below.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pathology · pathology · English

pathology · rank #13,582 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,582
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Peggy

Nearest frequency peer: Peggy (+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 “pathology”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pathology” 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
Key facts for pathology
PropertyValue
Headwordpathology
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pəˈθɒləd͡ʒi/
Letters9
Frequency rank#13,582
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pathology”

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

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Peggy” (#13,583), “parameter” (#13,580), “piercing” (#13,584). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pathology” is #13,582. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around pathology (IPA /pəˈθɒləd͡ʒi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,582 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for pathology, with forms such as "apthology", "pahtology", and "pathhology". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French pathologie, from Ancient Greek πάθος (páthos, “disease”) and -λογία (-logía, “study of”). The correct English form is pathology, spelled P-A-T-H-O-L-O-G-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The study of the nature of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences; now usually and especially in the clinical and academic medicine subsenses defined below.
  2. 2
    The study of the nature of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences; now usually and especially in the clinical and academic medicine subsenses defined below.
  3. 3
    The study of the nature of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences; now usually and especially in the clinical and academic medicine subsenses defined below.
  4. 4
    Pathosis: any deviation from a healthy or normal structure or function; abnormality; illness or malformation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The surgeon sent a specimen of the cyst to the hospital's pathology department for staining and analysis to determine its histologic subtype.
  2. Those three pioneering pathologists went on to become leaders in building the pathology departments at several universities.

Etymology

From French pathologie, from Ancient Greek πάθος (páthos, “disease”) and -λογία (-logía, “study of”).

This word in other languages

patología(Español)pathologie(Français)Pathologie(Deutsch)patologia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apthology
  • pahtology
  • pathhology
  • pathloogy
  • patholgoy
  • pathollogy
  • pathologgy
  • pathologyy
  • patholoyg
  • pathoolgy
  • patohlogy
  • patthology
  • ppathology
  • ptahology

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pathology - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

apthology2pahtology2pathhology1pathloogy2patholgoy2pathollogy1pathologgy1pathologyy1
Edit distance from "pathology"

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 "pathology"?
"pathology" is spelled P-A-T-H-O-L-O-G-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /pəˈθɒləd͡ʒi/.
What does "pathology" mean?
As a noun, "pathology" means: The study of the nature of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences; now usually and especially in the clinical and academic medicine subsenses defined below.
What are common misspellings of "pathology"?
Common misspellings include "apthology", "pahtology", "pathhology", "pathloogy", "patholgoy". The correct spelling is "pathology".
How do you pronounce "pathology"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pathology" is /pəˈθɒləd͡ʒi/. 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 "pathology"?
From French pathologie, from Ancient Greek πάθος (páthos, “disease”) and -λογία (-logía, “study of”). 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 "pathology", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

parameter#13,580poisonous#13,586pretended#13,588organizer#13,574

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

procession14 variantssandstone14 variantsintercept14 variantsindicative14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list