Phobos

/ˈfoʊbəs/

//ˈfoʊbəs// name

"phobos" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Phobos” is uncommon English (frequency #71,005 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,005
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A son of Ares (Mars). Also the Greek god of fear.

Corpus desk

Index EN-phobos · Phobos · English

Phobos · rank #71,005 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,005
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Phoenicia

Nearest frequency peer: Phoenicia (+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 “Phobos”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Phobos
PropertyValue
HeadwordPhobos
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈfoʊbəs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#71,005
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Phobos” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Phobosfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Phoenicia” (#71,006), “philatelic” (#71,003), “Pict” (#71,008). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “Phobos” is #71,005. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Phobos is uncommon English at frequency #71,005 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈfoʊbəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for Phobos, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek Φόβος (Phóbos, “Fear”). The correct English form is Phobos, spelled P-H-O-B-O-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A son of Ares (Mars). Also the Greek god of fear.
  2. 2
    The innermost natural satellite of Mars.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Φόβος (Phóbos, “Fear”).

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

How do you spell "Phobos"?
"Phobos" is spelled P-H-O-B-O-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfoʊbəs/.
What does "Phobos" mean?
As a proper noun, "Phobos" means: A son of Ares (Mars). Also the Greek god of fear.
How do you pronounce "Phobos"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Phobos" is /ˈfoʊbəs/. 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 "Phobos"?
From Ancient Greek Φόβος (Phóbos, “Fear”). 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 "Phobos", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list