postdoc
/ˈpoʊstˌdɒk/
"postdoc" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“postdoc” is uncommon English (frequency #50,731 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #50,731
- frequency rank, English
- 4,417
- “P” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A postdoctoral academic research position.
Corpus desk
Index EN-postdoc · postdoc · English
postdoc · rank #50,731 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #50,731
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,417
- PHOTO-FINISH polygonal
Nearest frequency peer: polygonal (-2 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 “postdoc”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- policewoman
policewoman
49,274 corpus weight
- polygonal
polygonal
49,272 corpus weight
- postdoc
postdoc
49,270 corpus weight
- potluck
potluck
49,268 corpus weight
- precariously
precariously
49,266 corpus weight
- Prendergast
Prendergast
49,265 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “postdoc” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | postdoc |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpoʊstˌdɒk/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #50,731 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “postdoc” in English
Rare enough to double-check
postdoc is uncommon English at frequency #50,731 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpoʊstˌdɒk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for postdoc, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of postdoctoral. The correct English form is postdoc, spelled P-O-S-T-D-O-C.
Definition
- 1A postdoctoral academic research position.
- 2Someone in such a position.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how postdoc appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"We have to sing for our supper, and that's something the young people are coming to terms with," said Dr. Robin Erbacher, 33, a postdoc at Fermilab.
Many of the postdocs are almost 40 before they start their first permanent positions and begin saving for retirement.
Etymology
Clipping of postdoctoral.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "postdoc", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).