republic

Name: republic, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ɹɪˈpʌb.lɪk/

//ɹɪˈpʌb.lɪk// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“republic” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,495 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,495
frequency rank, English: 8
letters: 12
tracked misspellings: 1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A state where sovereignty rests with the people or their representatives, rather than with a monarch or emperor; a country with no monarchy.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

republic vs republican

80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for republic
Property	Value
Headword	republic
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ɹɪˈpʌb.lɪk/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#2,495
Misspellings tracked	12
Confusable pairs	1
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “republic” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). republic lands here:

#2,495

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for republic is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈpʌb.lɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,495 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for republic, with forms such as "erpublic", "repbulic", and "reppublic". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "republican", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French republique (“republic”), from Latin rēspūblicā, from rēs (“thing”) + pūblica (“public”); hence literally “the public thing”. The correct English form is republic, spelled R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C.

Definition

1
A state where sovereignty rests with the people or their representatives, rather than with a monarch or emperor; a country with no monarchy.
2
A state, which may or may not be a monarchy, in which the executive and legislative branches of government are separate.
3
One of the subdivisions constituting Russia. See oblast.
4
One of the subdivisions that made up the former Yugoslavia.

Etymology

From Middle French republique (“republic”), from Latin rēspūblicā, from rēs (“thing”) + pūblica (“public”); hence literally “the public thing”.

This word in other languages

república(Español)république(Français)Republik(Deutsch)república(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: erpublic,repbulic,reppublic,repubblic,repubilc,republci,republicc,republlic,repulbic,reupblic,rpeublic,rrepublic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of republic - 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.

Edit distance from "republic"

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 "republic"?

"republic" is spelled R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈpʌb.lɪk/.

What does "republic" mean?

As a noun, "republic" means: A state where sovereignty rests with the people or their representatives, rather than with a monarch or emperor; a country with no monarchy.

What words are commonly confused with "republic"?

"republic" is commonly confused with "republican". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "republic"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "republic" is /ɹɪˈpʌb.lɪk/. 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 "republic"?

From Middle French republique (“republic”), from Latin rēspūblicā, from rēs (“thing”) + pūblica (“public”); hence literally “the public thing”. 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.

Using “republic”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ɹɪˈpʌb.lɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “republican” - see the side-by-side comparison. republic vs republican
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.