patriarch
/ˈpeɪtɹɪɑːk/
"patriarch" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“patriarch” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,413 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #19,413
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The highest form of bishop, in the ancient world having authority over other bishops in the province but now generally as an honorary title; in Roman Catholicism, considered a bishop second only to...
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 | patriarch |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpeɪtɹɪɑːk/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #19,413 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “patriarch” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for patriarch is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpeɪtɹɪɑːk/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,413 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for patriarch, with forms such as "aptriarch", "partiarch", and "patirarch". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "patriarchy", "patriarchal", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English patriark, patriarche, from Late Latin patriarcha; later reinforced by Old French patriarche, from Ancient Greek πατριάρχης (patriárkhēs, “the founder of the tribe/family”), from Ancient Greek πατριά (patriá, “generation, ancestry, descen… The correct English form is patriarch, spelled P-A-T-R-I-A-R-C-H.
Definition
- 1The highest form of bishop, in the ancient world having authority over other bishops in the province but now generally as an honorary title; in Roman Catholicism, considered a bishop second only to the Pope in rank.
- 2A male leader of a family, tribe or ethnic group, especially one of the twelve sons of Jacob (considered to have created the twelve tribes of Israel) or (in plural) Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
- 3A founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise.
- 4An old leader of a village or community.
- 5The male progenitor of a genetic or tribal line, or of a clan or extended family.
- 6The male head of a household or nuclear family.
Etymology
From Middle English patriark, patriarche, from Late Latin patriarcha; later reinforced by Old French patriarche, from Ancient Greek πατριάρχης (patriárkhēs, “the founder of the tribe/family”), from Ancient Greek πατριά (patriá, “generation, ancestry, descent, tribe, family”) + -ᾰ́ρχης (-ắrkhēs, “-arch”), with some senses likely influenced directly by Latin pāter (“father”) or Ancient Greek πᾰτήρ (pătḗr, “father”). Compare matriarch. By surface analysis, patri- + -arch.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: aptriarch,partiarch,patirarch,patrairch,patriacrh,patriarcch,patriarchh,patriarhc,patriarrch,patrirach,patrriarch,pattriarch,ppatriarch,ptariarch
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of patriarch - 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 "patriarch"?
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Using “patriarch”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-A-T-R-I-A-R-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpeɪtɹɪɑːk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “patriarchy” - see the side-by-side comparison. patriarch vs patriarchy
- 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.