psalter

/ˈsɔːltə(ɹ)/

//ˈsɔːltə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“psalter” is uncommon English (frequency #57,648 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,648
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Synonym of Psalms, particularly when printed as a separate work from the Bible.

Corpus desk

Index EN-psalter · psalter · English

psalter · rank #57,648 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,648
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH propofol

Nearest frequency peer: propofol (-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 “psalter”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for psalter
PropertyValue
Headwordpsalter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɔːltə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#57,648
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “psalter” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).psalterfalls 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: “propofol” (#57,647), “professorial” (#57,646), “QED” (#57,650). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “psalter” is #57,648. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

psalter is uncommon English at frequency #57,648 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɔːltə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

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

  1. 1
    Synonym of Psalms, particularly when printed as a separate work from the Bible.
  2. 2
    Synonym of breviary, which arranges the Psalms for devotional recitation.
  3. 3
    Synonym of Book of Common Prayer, which prominently includes the Psalms.
  4. 4
    A rosary with 150 beads, used for reciting the Psalms in Catholic editions of the Bible.
  5. 5
    Alternative form of psaltery, a kind of zither as well as the King James translation of certain obscure musical terms in the Old Testament.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Confesse ye to our Lord on the harpe: on a psalter of ten strings sing to him.
  2. Perhaps the viol d'amour underwent several modifications, as its name was changed to psalter in the belief of its being the ancient instrument so denominated, which is quite different, according to most authorities — not belonging to the fidicinal tribe.

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

salterio(Español)psautier(Français)Psalter(Deutsch)saltério(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 "psalter"?
"psalter" is spelled P-S-A-L-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɔːltə(ɹ)/.
What does "psalter" mean?
As a noun, "psalter" means: Synonym of Psalms, particularly when printed as a separate work from the Bible.
How do you pronounce "psalter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "psalter" is /ˈsɔːltə(ɹ)/. 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 "psalter"?
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. 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 "psalter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

quaking#57,651pelting#57,628Palawan#57,620onesies#57,611

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list