pedophile

/ˈpiː.dəˌfaɪl/

//ˈpiː.dəˌfaɪl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“pedophile” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,658 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#19,658
frequency rank, English
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An adult or older adolescent who is sexually attracted to prepubescent children.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

pedophile vs pedophilia
80% similar
pedophile vs paedophile
90% similar

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

Key facts for pedophile
PropertyValue
Headwordpedophile
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpiː.dəˌfaɪl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#19,658
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pedophile” 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). pedophile lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for pedophile is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpiː.dəˌfaɪl/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,658 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for pedophile, with forms such as "epdophile", "pdeophile", and "peddophile". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "pedophilia", "paedophile", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From pedo- (“child”) + -phile, after Ancient Greek παιδοφῐ́λης (paidophĭ́lēs) (from παῖς (paîs, “boy, child”) + φιλέω (philéō, “to love”)). The correct English form is pedophile, spelled P-E-D-O-P-H-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An adult or older adolescent who is sexually attracted to prepubescent children.
  2. 2
    An adult who is sexually attracted to or engages in sexual acts with a child under the age of consent.
  3. 3
    A consumer of lewd artwork of characters under the age of consent.

Etymology

From pedo- (“child”) + -phile, after Ancient Greek παιδοφῐ́λης (paidophĭ́lēs) (from παῖς (paîs, “boy, child”) + φιλέω (philéō, “to love”)).

Synonyms

childlover

Antonyms

teleiophile

This word in other languages

pedófilo(Español)pédophile(Français)Pädophiler(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: epdophile,pdeophile,peddophile,pedohpile,pedophhile,pedophiel,pedophille,pedophlie,pedopihle,pedopphile,pedpohile,peodphile,ppedophile

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

epdophile2pdeophile2peddophile1pedohpile2pedophhile1pedophiel2pedophille1pedophlie2
Edit distance from "pedophile"

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 "pedophile"?
"pedophile" is spelled P-E-D-O-P-H-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpiː.dəˌfaɪl/.
What does "pedophile" mean?
As a noun, "pedophile" means: An adult or older adolescent who is sexually attracted to prepubescent children.
What words are commonly confused with "pedophile"?
"pedophile" is commonly confused with "pedophilia", "paedophile". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pedophile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pedophile" is /ˈpiː.dəˌfaɪl/. 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 "pedophile"?
From pedo- (“child”) + -phile, after Ancient Greek παιδοφῐ́λης (paidophĭ́lēs) (from παῖς (paîs, “boy, child”) + φιλέω (philéō, “to love”)). 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 “pedophile”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-E-D-O-P-H-I-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpiː.dəˌfaɪl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pedophilia” - see the side-by-side comparison. pedophile vs pedophilia
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list