pedophilia
ped·o·phil·i·a/ˌpɛ.dəˈfɪ.li.ə/noun
pedophilia is spelled P-E-D-O-P-H-I-L-I-A: 10 letters and 5 syllables (ped·o·phil·i·a). It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pedophilia means “Sexual attraction by adults and adolescents to children, specifically prepubescent children” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pedophilia is pedophilias.
How many letters and syllables are in pedophilia?
| Letters | 10: P-E-D-O-P-H-I-L-I-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: ped·o·phil·i·a |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,367th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is pedophilia?
Pedophilia appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pedophilia?
- UK /ˌpiː.dəˈfɪ.li.ə/
- Australia /ˌpe.dəˈfɪ.li.ə/
- US /ˌpɛ.dəˈfɪ.li.ə/
Pedophilia has 5 syllables, split ped·o·phil·i·a in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pedophilia.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-NaomiAmethyst-paedophilia.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with pedophilia?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pedophilia from its last stressed vowel (/ɪliə/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of pedophilia
- pedophilias plural
- paedophilia UK
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pedophilia mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
USSexual attraction by adults and adolescents to children, specifically prepubescent children.
- 2
USproscribedSexual activity between adults and children; the act of child molestation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pedophilia in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense sexual feeling or desire by adults towards children:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pédophilie |
| German | Pädophilie |
| Portuguese | pedofilia |
| Spanish | pedofilia, paidofilia |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pedophilia come from?
Adapted from German Pädophilie, bringing its spelling into conformity with pedo- (“child”) + -philia. Compare the Byzantine Greek παιδοφιλία (paidophilía, “love of children”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).