Phaedra

/ˈfiːdɹə/

//ˈfiːdɹə// name

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

"phaedra" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Phaedra” is uncommon English (frequency #55,642 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,642
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The wife of Theseus, who falls in love with but is spurned by her stepson Hippolytus, then commits suicide, but is the cause of his later death (details vary between versions).

Corpus desk

Index EN-phaedra · Phaedra · English

Phaedra · rank #55,642 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,642
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pez

Nearest frequency peer: Pez (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “Phaedra”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “Phaedra” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Phaedra
PropertyValue
HeadwordPhaedra
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈfiːdɹə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#55,642
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Phaedra” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).Phaedrafalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Pez” (#55,641), “pharmacokinetics” (#55,643), “perdition” (#55,639). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “Phaedra” is #55,642. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Phaedra is uncommon English at frequency #55,642 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈfiːdɹə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Phaedra, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin Phaedra, from Ancient Greek Φαίδρᾱ (Phaídrā). The myth has been retold several times, in plays (in classical times in Euripides's Hippolytus and Seneca the Younger's Phaedra, later in Racine's Phèdre), and more recently in other media. The correct English form is Phaedra, spelled P-H-A-E-D-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    The wife of Theseus, who falls in love with but is spurned by her stepson Hippolytus, then commits suicide, but is the cause of his later death (details vary between versions).
  2. 2
    A female given name from Ancient Greek.
  3. 3
    The asteroid 174 Phaedra.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Phaedra appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. We notice that Racine's Phaedra, like Euripides', displays high moral dignity because she considers her passion for Hippolytus to be abominable.
  2. Why did Seneca decide to postpone his own Phaedra’s suicide until after Hippolytus' death? The question is by no means as futile as it may sound.

Etymology

From Latin Phaedra, from Ancient Greek Φαίδρᾱ (Phaídrā). The myth has been retold several times, in plays (in classical times in Euripides's Hippolytus and Seneca the Younger's Phaedra, later in Racine's Phèdre), and more recently in other media.

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 "Phaedra"?
"Phaedra" is spelled P-H-A-E-D-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfiːdɹə/.
What does "Phaedra" mean?
As a proper noun, "Phaedra" means: The wife of Theseus, who falls in love with but is spurned by her stepson Hippolytus, then commits suicide, but is the cause of his later death (details vary between versions).
How do you pronounce "Phaedra"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Phaedra" is /ˈfiːdɹə/. 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 "Phaedra"?
From Latin Phaedra, from Ancient Greek Φαίδρᾱ (Phaídrā). The myth has been retold several times, in plays (in classical times in Euripides's Hippolytus and Seneca the Younger's Phaedra, later in Racine's Phèdre), and more recently in other media. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Phaedra", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

plotter#55,650parquet#55,633Poehler#55,651outgrew#55,626

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list