pharaoh

/ˈfɛː.ɹəʊ/

//ˈfɛː.ɹəʊ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“pharaoh” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,165. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,165
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The supreme ruler of Ancient Egypt; a formal address for the sovereign seat of power as personified by the "king" in an institutional role of Horus son of Osiris; often used by metonymy for Ancient...

Key facts for pharaoh
PropertyValue
Headwordpharaoh
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɛː.ɹəʊ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,165
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pharaoh” 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). pharaoh lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around pharaoh (IPA /ˈfɛː.ɹəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,165 among 46,516 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for pharaoh, with forms such as "hparaoh", "pahraoh", and "phaaroh". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pharao (also as pharaon, farao, faraon, etc.), from Old English Pharao, from Late Latin Pharaō, from Koine Greek Φαραώ (Pharaṓ), from Biblical Hebrew פַּרְעֹה (Parʿō), from Egyptian pr:aA (pr-ꜥꜣ, “palace; pharaoh”, literally “pr (“house”… The correct English form is pharaoh, spelled P-H-A-R-A-O-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    The supreme ruler of Ancient Egypt; a formal address for the sovereign seat of power as personified by the "king" in an institutional role of Horus son of Osiris; often used by metonymy for Ancient Egyptian sovereignty
  2. 2
    The card game faro.

Etymology

From Middle English pharao (also as pharaon, farao, faraon, etc.), from Old English Pharao, from Late Latin Pharaō, from Koine Greek Φαραώ (Pharaṓ), from Biblical Hebrew פַּרְעֹה (Parʿō), from Egyptian pr:aA (pr-ꜥꜣ, “palace; pharaoh”, literally “pr (“house”) + ꜥꜣ (“great, big”)”)

Synonyms

pharaoh

This word in other languages

faraón(Español)pharaon(Français)Pharao(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hparaoh,pahraoh,phaaroh,pharaho,pharaohh,pharoah,pharraoh,phharaoh,phraaoh,ppharaoh

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pharaoh - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hparaoh2pahraoh2phaaroh2pharaho2pharaohh1pharoah2pharraoh1phharaoh1
Edit distance from "pharaoh"

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 "pharaoh"?
"pharaoh" is spelled P-H-A-R-A-O-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɛː.ɹəʊ/.
What does "pharaoh" mean?
As a noun, "pharaoh" means: The supreme ruler of Ancient Egypt; a formal address for the sovereign seat of power as personified by the "king" in an institutional role of Horus son of Osiris; often used by metonymy for Ancient...
What are common misspellings of "pharaoh"?
Common misspellings include "hparaoh", "pahraoh", "phaaroh", "pharaho", "pharaohh". The correct spelling is "pharaoh".
How do you pronounce "pharaoh"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pharaoh" is /ˈfɛː.ɹəʊ/. 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 "pharaoh"?
From Middle English pharao (also as pharaon, farao, faraon, etc.), from Old English Pharao, from Late Latin Pharaō, from Koine Greek Φαραώ (Pharaṓ), from Biblical Hebrew פַּרְעֹה (Parʿō), from Egyptian pr:aA (pr-ꜥꜣ, “palace; pharaoh”, literally “p... 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 “pharaoh”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-H-A-R-A-O-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈfɛː.ɹəʊ/ (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

Same frequency band

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