Patroclus

/pəˈtɹəʊ.kləs/

//pəˈtɹəʊ.kləs// name

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

The verdict

“Patroclus” is uncommon English (frequency #78,925 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,925
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A character in the Iliad, known for his close relationship to Achilles.

Key facts for Patroclus
PropertyValue
HeadwordPatroclus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/pəˈtɹəʊ.kləs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#78,925
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Patroclus” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Patroclus is uncommon English at frequency #78,925 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /pəˈtɹəʊ.kləs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A character in the Iliad, known for his close relationship to Achilles.".

No misspelling variants are generated for Patroclus in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin Patroclus, from Ancient Greek Πάτροκλος (Pátroklos). The correct English form is Patroclus, spelled P-A-T-R-O-C-L-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A character in the Iliad, known for his close relationship to Achilles.

Etymology

From Latin Patroclus, from Ancient Greek Πάτροκλος (Pátroklos).

This word in other languages

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 "Patroclus"?
"Patroclus" is spelled P-A-T-R-O-C-L-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /pəˈtɹəʊ.kləs/.
What does "Patroclus" mean?
As a proper noun, "Patroclus" means: A character in the Iliad, known for his close relationship to Achilles.
How do you pronounce "Patroclus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Patroclus" is /pəˈtɹəʊ.kləs/. 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 "Patroclus"?
From Latin Patroclus, from Ancient Greek Πάτροκλος (Pátroklos). 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.

Using “Patroclus”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-A-T-R-O-C-L-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pəˈtɹəʊ.kləs/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list