pentameter
/pɛnˈtæmɪtə(ɹ)/
"pentameter" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pentameter” is uncommon English (frequency #78,932 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #78,932
- frequency rank, English
- 46,516
- “P” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A line in a poem having five metrical feet.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pentameter |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /pɛnˈtæmɪtə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #78,932 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pentameter” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
pentameter is uncommon English at frequency #78,932 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɛnˈtæmɪtə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for pentameter, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *pénkʷe From Middle French pentamètre, by surface analysis, penta- + meter. The correct English form is pentameter, spelled P-E-N-T-A-M-E-T-E-R.
Definition
- 1A line in a poem having five metrical feet.
- 2Poetic metre in which each line has five feet.
Etymology
PIE word *pénkʷe From Middle French pentamètre, by surface analysis, penta- + meter.
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
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Using “pentameter”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-N-T-A-M-E-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /pɛnˈtæmɪtə(ɹ)/ (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.