quadriceps

/ˈkwɒd.ɹɪ.sɛps/

//ˈkwɒd.ɹɪ.sɛps// noun

"quadriceps" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“quadriceps” is uncommon English (frequency #61,740 among 288 “Q” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,740
frequency rank, English
288
“Q” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A muscle having four heads, especially the large extensor at the front of the thigh.

Corpus desk

Index EN-quadriceps · quadriceps · English

quadriceps · rank #61,740 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,740
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 288
  • PHOTO-FINISH quadrilateral

Nearest frequency peer: quadrilateral (+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 “quadriceps”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for quadriceps
PropertyValue
Headwordquadriceps
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkwɒd.ɹɪ.sɛps/
Letters10
Frequency rank#61,740
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “quadriceps” 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).quadricepsfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “quadrilateral” (#61,741), “pyrotechnic” (#61,738), “quartile” (#61,742). Among 288 “Q” headwords, “quadriceps” is #61,740. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

quadriceps is uncommon English at frequency #61,740 among 288 “Q” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkwɒd.ɹɪ.sɛps/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A muscle having four heads, especially the large extensor at the front of the thigh.".

No misspelling variants are generated for quadriceps in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. 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: Borrowed from Latin quadriceps, literally “four-headed”, from quadri- + -ceps, from quattuor (“four”) and from caput (“head”). The correct English form is quadriceps, spelled Q-U-A-D-R-I-C-E-P-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A muscle having four heads, especially the large extensor at the front of the thigh.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin quadriceps, literally “four-headed”, from quadri- + -ceps, from quattuor (“four”) and from caput (“head”).

Synonyms

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 "quadriceps"?
"quadriceps" is spelled Q-U-A-D-R-I-C-E-P-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkwɒd.ɹɪ.sɛps/.
What does "quadriceps" mean?
As a noun, "quadriceps" means: A muscle having four heads, especially the large extensor at the front of the thigh.
How do you pronounce "quadriceps"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quadriceps" is /ˈkwɒd.ɹɪ.sɛps/. 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 "quadriceps"?
Borrowed from Latin quadriceps, literally “four-headed”, from quadri- + -ceps, from quattuor (“four”) and from caput (“head”). 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 "quadriceps", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list