psalter
/ˈsɔːltə(ɹ)/
"psalter" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“psalter” is an uncommon English word, ranked #57,648 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #57,648
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Synonym of Psalms, particularly when printed as a separate work from the Bible.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | psalter |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɔːltə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #57,648 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “psalter” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for psalter is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɔːltə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #57,648 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
psalter doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English psauter & sauter, from Old French psautier & saltier, from Latin psalterium (“a kind of lute or zither”), from Ancient Greek ψᾰλτήρῐον (psăltḗrĭon, “harp”). Doublet of psalterion, psalterium, and psaltery. The correct English form is psalter, spelled P-S-A-L-T-E-R.
Definition
- 1Synonym of Psalms, particularly when printed as a separate work from the Bible.
- 2Synonym of breviary, which arranges the Psalms for devotional recitation.
- 3Synonym of Book of Common Prayer, which prominently includes the Psalms.
- 4A rosary with 150 beads, used for reciting the Psalms in Catholic editions of the Bible.
- 5Alternative form of psaltery, a kind of zither as well as the King James translation of certain obscure musical terms in the Old Testament.
Etymology
From Middle English psauter & sauter, from Old French psautier & saltier, from Latin psalterium (“a kind of lute or zither”), from Ancient Greek ψᾰλτήρῐον (psăltḗrĭon, “harp”). Doublet of psalterion, psalterium, and psaltery.
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 "psalter"?
What does "psalter" mean?
How do you pronounce "psalter"?
What is the origin of the word "psalter"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “psalter”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-S-A-L-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɔːltə(ɹ)/ (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
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.