phoenix

/ˈfiːnɪks/

//ˈfiːnɪks// noun

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

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

The verdict

“phoenix” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,072. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,072
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mythological bird, said to be the only one of its kind, which lives for 500 years and then dies by burning to ashes on a pyre of its own making, ignited by the sun. It then arises anew from the a...

Corpus desk

Index EN-phoenix · phoenix · English

phoenix · rank #5,072 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,072
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH owns

Nearest frequency peer: owns (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “phoenix”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “phoenix” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for phoenix
PropertyValue
Headwordphoenix
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfiːnɪks/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,072
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “phoenix”

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).phoenixlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “owns” (#5,071), “Orleans” (#5,070), “poet” (#5,074). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “phoenix” is #5,072. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around phoenix (IPA /ˈfiːnɪks/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,072 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for phoenix, with forms such as "hpoenix", "pheonix", and "phhoenix". 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. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old English and Old French fenix, from Medieval Latin phenix, from Latin phoenīx, from Ancient Greek φοῖνιξ (phoînix), from Egyptian b-n:nw*w-G31 (boinu, “grey heron”). Doublet of Bennu. The grey heron was venerated at Heliopolis and associated in Egyp… The correct English form is phoenix, spelled P-H-O-E-N-I-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    A mythological bird, said to be the only one of its kind, which lives for 500 years and then dies by burning to ashes on a pyre of its own making, ignited by the sun. It then arises anew from the ashes.
  2. 2
    Anything that is reborn after apparently being destroyed.
  3. 3
    A mythological Chinese chimerical bird whose physical body symbolizes the six celestial bodies; a fenghuang.
  4. 4
    A Greek silver coin used briefly from 1828 to 1832, divided into 100 lepta.
  5. 5
    A marvelous person or thing.
  6. 6
    Alternative letter-case form of Phoenix (“A geometer moth of species Eulithis prunata.”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. burn the long-lived phoenix in her blood
  2. Astronomers believe planets might form in this dead star's disk, like the mythical Phoenix rising up out of the ashes.

Etymology

From Old English and Old French fenix, from Medieval Latin phenix, from Latin phoenīx, from Ancient Greek φοῖνιξ (phoînix), from Egyptian b-n:nw*w-G31 (boinu, “grey heron”). Doublet of Bennu. The grey heron was venerated at Heliopolis and associated in Egypt with the cyclical renewal of life because the bird rises in flight at dawn and migrates back every year in the flood season to inhabit the Nile waters.

This word in other languages

fénix(Español)phénix(Français)Phönix(Deutsch)fênix(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hpoenix
  • pheonix
  • phhoenix
  • phoeinx
  • phoenixx
  • phoennix
  • phoenxi
  • phoneix
  • pohenix
  • pphoenix

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of phoenix - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hpoenix2pheonix2phhoenix1phoeinx2phoenixx1phoennix1phoenxi2phoneix2
Edit distance from "phoenix"

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 "phoenix"?
"phoenix" is spelled P-H-O-E-N-I-X. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfiːnɪks/.
What does "phoenix" mean?
As a noun, "phoenix" means: A mythological bird, said to be the only one of its kind, which lives for 500 years and then dies by burning to ashes on a pyre of its own making, ignited by the sun. It then arises anew from the a...
What are common misspellings of "phoenix"?
Common misspellings include "hpoenix", "pheonix", "phhoenix", "phoeinx", "phoenixx". The correct spelling is "phoenix".
How do you pronounce "phoenix"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "phoenix" is /ˈfiːnɪks/. 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 "phoenix"?
From Old English and Old French fenix, from Medieval Latin phenix, from Latin phoenīx, from Ancient Greek φοῖνιξ (phoînix), from Egyptian b-n:nw*w-G31 (boinu, “grey heron”). Doublet of Bennu. The grey heron was venerated at Heliopolis and associat... 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 "phoenix", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Orleans#5,070Ontario#5,068slavery#5,083legally#5,058

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

veteran10 variantsBarbara10 variantsfarming10 variantscleared10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list