sword of Damocles

/ˈsɔɹd əv ˈdæməkliz/

//ˈsɔɹd əv ˈdæməkliz// noun

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

"sword-of-damocles" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sword of Damocles” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
17
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sword-of-damocles · sword of Damocles · English

sword of Damocles · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 17 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for sword of Damocles
PropertyValue
Headwordsword of Damocles
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɔɹd əv ˈdæməkliz/
Letters17
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sword of Damocles” sits in English frequency

sword of Damocles falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sword of Damocles is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɔɹd əv ˈdæməkliz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune.".

No misspelling variants are generated for sword of Damocles in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the following story: Damocles was an obsequious courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, a fourth century BC tyrant of Syracuse. Damocles exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, Dionysius was truly fortunate. Dionysius offered … The correct English form is sword of Damocles, spelled S-W-O-R-D- -O-F- -D-A-M-O-C-L-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune.

Etymology

From the following story: Damocles was an obsequious courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, a fourth century BC tyrant of Syracuse. Damocles exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, Dionysius was truly fortunate. Dionysius offered to switch places with him for a day, so he could taste that fortune first-hand. In the evening a banquet was held, where Damocles very much enjoyed being waited upon like a king. Only at the end of the meal did he look up and notice a sharpened sword hanging directly above his head, held only by a single horse-hair. Immediately, he lost all taste for the festivities and asked leave of the tyrant, saying he no longer wanted to be so fortunate. Dionysius had successfully conveyed a sense of the constant threat under which a powerful man lives. From Ancient Greek Δαμοκλῆς (Damoklês).

This word in other languages

espada de Damocles(Español)épée de Damoclès(Français)Damoklesschwert(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sword of Damocles"?
"sword of Damocles" is spelled S-W-O-R-D- -O-F- -D-A-M-O-C-L-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɔɹd əv ˈdæməkliz/.
What does "sword of Damocles" mean?
As a noun, "sword of Damocles" means: A thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune.
How do you pronounce "sword of Damocles"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sword of Damocles" is /ˈsɔɹd əv ˈdæməkliz/. 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 "sword of Damocles"?
From the following story: Damocles was an obsequious courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, a fourth century BC tyrant of Syracuse. Damocles exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, Dionysius was truly fortunate. Dionysiu... 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.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list