pathos
/ˈpeɪˌθɒs/
"pathos" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pathos” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #35,870 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #35,870
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 13
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The quality or property of anything which touches the feelings or excites emotions and passions, especially that which awakens tender emotions, such as pity, sorrow, and the like; contagious warmth...
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pathos |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpeɪˌθɒs/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #35,870 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 13 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pathos” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for pathos is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpeɪˌθɒs/. Corpus data places it at rank #35,870 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for pathos, with forms such as "apthos", "pahtos", and "pathhos". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "pats", "paths", "patio", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek πάθος (páthos, “suffering”). The correct English form is pathos, spelled P-A-T-H-O-S.
Definition
- 1The quality or property of anything which touches the feelings or excites emotions and passions, especially that which awakens tender emotions, such as pity, sorrow, and the like; contagious warmth of feeling, action, or expression; pathetic quality.
- 2A form of rhetoric in which the writer or speaker uses emotional appeals to the audience as the main form of persuasion.
- 3An author's attempt to evoke a feeling of pity or sympathetic sorrow for a character.
- 4In theology and existentialist ethics following Kierkegaard and Heidegger, a deep and abiding commitment of the heart, as in the notion of "finding your passion" as an important aspect of a fully lived, engaged life.
- 5Suffering; the enduring of active stress or affliction.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek πάθος (páthos, “suffering”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: apthos,pahtos,pathhos,pathoss,pathso,patohs,patthos,ppathos,ptahos
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pathos - 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
How do you spell "pathos"?
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Using “pathos”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-A-T-H-O-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpeɪˌθɒs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “pats” - see the side-by-side comparison. pathos vs pats
- 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.