polyglot

/ˈpɒlɪɡlɒt/

//ˈpɒlɪɡlɒt// noun

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

"polyglot" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“polyglot” is uncommon English (frequency #61,033 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,033
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A publication in several languages; specifically, a book (especially a bible) containing several versions of the same subject matter or text in several languages.

Corpus desk

Index EN-polyglot · polyglot · English

polyglot · rank #61,033 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,033
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pontypridd

Nearest frequency peer: Pontypridd (+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 “polyglot”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for polyglot
PropertyValue
Headwordpolyglot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɒlɪɡlɒt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#61,033
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “polyglot” 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).polyglotfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Pontypridd” (#61,034), “pj's” (#61,030), “pouty” (#61,037). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “polyglot” is #61,033. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

polyglot is uncommon English at frequency #61,033 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɒlɪɡlɒt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for polyglot, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *glōgʰs Borrowed from Attic Greek πολύγλωττος (polúglōttos, “speaking many languages, multilingual”), alternative form of Ancient Greek πολῠ́γλωσσος (polŭ́glōssos, “speaking many languages, multilingual”), from πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s, “a lot of, many”) (u… The correct English form is polyglot, spelled P-O-L-Y-G-L-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A publication in several languages; specifically, a book (especially a bible) containing several versions of the same subject matter or text in several languages.
  2. 2
    One who has mastered (especially when able to speak) several languages.
  3. 3
    A mixture of languages or nomenclatures.
  4. 4
    A file that can be interpreted validly as multiple formats.
  5. 5
    A program written to be valid in multiple programming languages.
  6. 6
    A bird able to imitate the sounds of other birds.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [T]hose coming to the warehouses' doors fired them, and burned all the books and the pillars of the church, […] A great want thereof there will be of books, specially Latin books and foreign books; and, among others, the Polyglottes and new Bible, which he believes will be presently worth £40 a-piece.
  2. But ſince that period the biblical apparatus has been much enriched by the publication of polyglots; […]

Etymology

PIE word *glōgʰs Borrowed from Attic Greek πολύγλωττος (polúglōttos, “speaking many languages, multilingual”), alternative form of Ancient Greek πολῠ́γλωσσος (polŭ́glōssos, “speaking many languages, multilingual”), from πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s, “a lot of, many”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”)) + Attic Greek γλῶττα (glôtta), Ancient Greek γλῶσσᾰ (glôssă, “tongue; language”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *glōgʰs (“tip of corn”)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming o-grade action nouns). The English word is analysable as poly- + -glot. Noun sense 1 (“publication in several languages”) is probably derived from Late Latin polyglottus, from Attic Greek πολύγλωττος (polúglōttos): see above.

This word in other languages

políglota(Español)polyglotte(Français)Polyglotte(Deutsch)poliglota(Português)

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 "polyglot"?
"polyglot" is spelled P-O-L-Y-G-L-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɒlɪɡlɒt/.
What does "polyglot" mean?
As a noun, "polyglot" means: A publication in several languages; specifically, a book (especially a bible) containing several versions of the same subject matter or text in several languages.
How do you pronounce "polyglot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "polyglot" is /ˈpɒlɪɡlɒt/. 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 "polyglot"?
PIE word *glōgʰs Borrowed from Attic Greek πολύγλωττος (polúglōttos, “speaking many languages, multilingual”), alternative form of Ancient Greek πολῠ́γλωσσος (polŭ́glōssos, “speaking many languages, multilingual”), from πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s, “a lot of,... 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 "polyglot", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

prashant#61,039Pergamon#61,021Perceval#61,020pachinko#61,010

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list