pulpit
/ˈpʊlpɪt/
"pulpit" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pulpit” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,629 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #21,629
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A raised platform in a church, sometimes enclosed, where the minister or preacher stands when giving the sermon; also, the lectern on such a platform.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pulpit |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpʊlpɪt/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #21,629 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pulpit” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for pulpit is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpʊlpɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,629 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for pulpit, with forms such as "plupit", "ppulpit", and "pulipt". 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. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "pupil", "puppet", "pundit", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pulpit, from Old French pulpite and Latin pulpitum (“platform”). Doublet of pulpitum. The correct English form is pulpit, spelled P-U-L-P-I-T.
Definition
- 1A raised platform in a church, sometimes enclosed, where the minister or preacher stands when giving the sermon; also, the lectern on such a platform.
- 2Activity associated with or usually performed from a church pulpit; preaching, sermons, religious teaching.
- 3The preaching profession, office, or role in general; the pastorate, the priesthood, the ministry.
- 4Preachers collectively; clergy; the priesthood.
- 5An individual or particular preaching position or role; a pastorate.
- 6Bully pulpit.
- 7Any lectern, podium, dais, or platform for an orator or public speaker.
- 8The railing at the bow of a boat, which sometimes extends past the deck; also called bow pulpit. The railing at the stern is sometimes called the stern pulpit or the pushpit.
- 9A bow platform for harpooning.
- 10A plane's cockpit.
Etymology
From Middle English pulpit, from Old French pulpite and Latin pulpitum (“platform”). Doublet of pulpitum.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: plupit,ppulpit,pulipt,pullpit,pulpitt,pulppit,pulpti,puplit,uplpit
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pulpit - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "pulpit"?
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Using “pulpit”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-U-L-P-I-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpʊlpɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “pupil” - see the side-by-side comparison. pulpit vs pupil
- 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.