rectory
/ˈɹɛktəɹi/
"rectory" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“rectory” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #33,814 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #33,814
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 7
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of certain residences for clergy members.
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 | rectory |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹɛktəɹi/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #33,814 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 7 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “rectory” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for rectory is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹɛktəɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #33,814 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for rectory, with forms such as "erctory", "rcetory", and "recctory". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "retry", "retort", "restore", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French rectorie, from Medieval Latin rectoria. See rector. The correct English form is rectory, spelled R-E-C-T-O-R-Y.
Definition
- 1Any of certain residences for clergy members.
- 2Any of certain residences for clergy members.
Etymology
From Middle French rectorie, from Medieval Latin rectoria. See rector.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: erctory,rcetory,recctory,recotry,rectorry,rectoryy,rectoyr,rectroy,recttory,retcory,rrectory
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rectory - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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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Using “rectory”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-C-T-O-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹɛktəɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “retry” - see the side-by-side comparison. rectory vs retry
- 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.