Philemon

Name: Philemon, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/fɪˈliːmən/

//fɪˈliːmən// name

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“Philemon” is uncommon English (frequency #66,923 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,923
frequency rank, English: 46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The eighteenth book of the New Testament of the Bible, the epistle of Saint Paul to a fellow Christian called Philemon.

Key facts for Philemon
Property	Value
Headword	Philemon
Language	English
Part of speech	Proper noun
IPA	/fɪˈliːmən/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#66,923
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Philemon” 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). Philemon lands here:

#66,923

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Rare enough to double-check

Philemon is uncommon English at frequency #66,923 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /fɪˈliːmən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Philemon, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. 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 Ancient Greek Φιλήμων (Philḗmōn), from φιλήμων (philḗmōn, “kindly, affectionate”), from φιλέω (philéō, “I love”). The correct English form is Philemon, spelled P-H-I-L-E-M-O-N.

Definition

1
The eighteenth book of the New Testament of the Bible, the epistle of Saint Paul to a fellow Christian called Philemon.
2
A male given name from Ancient Greek.
3
A surname transferred from the given name.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Φιλήμων (Philḗmōn), from φιλήμων (philḗmōn, “kindly, affectionate”), from φιλέω (philéō, “I love”).

This word in other languages

Filemón(Español)Philémon(Français)Philemon(Deutsch)

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 "Philemon"?

"Philemon" is spelled P-H-I-L-E-M-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /fɪˈliːmən/.

What does "Philemon" mean?

As a proper noun, "Philemon" means: The eighteenth book of the New Testament of the Bible, the epistle of Saint Paul to a fellow Christian called Philemon.

How do you pronounce "Philemon"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Philemon" is /fɪˈliːmən/. 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 "Philemon"?

From Ancient Greek Φιλήμων (Philḗmōn), from φιλήμων (philḗmōn, “kindly, affectionate”), from φιλέω (philéō, “I love”). 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 “Philemon”

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

The one correct English spelling is P-H-I-L-E-M-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /fɪˈliːmən/ (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.