pentacle
/ˈpɛnt.ə.kl̩/
"pentacle" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pentacle” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A flat talisman, almost always star-shaped, made of parchment, sheet metal, or other substance, marked with a magic symbol or symbols, used in magical evocation.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pentacle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɛnt.ə.kl̩/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pentacle” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
pentacle is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɛnt.ə.kl̩/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
pentacle has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *pénkʷe From Middle French pentacle, from Old French pentacol (“pendant”), from pent (“hangs”), a (“from”), and col (“neck”), thus "hangs from neck". Likely reanalyzed in medieval times as coming from penta- (“five”) and -culum (object forming suf… The correct English form is pentacle, spelled P-E-N-T-A-C-L-E.
Definition
- 1A flat talisman, almost always star-shaped, made of parchment, sheet metal, or other substance, marked with a magic symbol or symbols, used in magical evocation.
- 2A pentagram, or a disk with a pentagram on it, especially one that is used for magical or mystical purposes.
- 3A circumscribed pentagram.
- 4A figure formed by two equilateral triangles intersecting regularly so as to form a six-pointed star.
Etymology
PIE word *pénkʷe From Middle French pentacle, from Old French pentacol (“pendant”), from pent (“hangs”), a (“from”), and col (“neck”), thus "hangs from neck". Likely reanalyzed in medieval times as coming from penta- (“five”) and -culum (object forming suffix), as evidenced by the Latinized form pentaculum and the narrowing of the modern sense to a five-pointed design, especially a pentagram.
Synonyms
Antonyms
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “pentacle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-N-T-A-C-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɛnt.ə.kl̩/ (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
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.