thanatology
/ˌθæ.nəˈtɑl.əd͡ʒ.i/noun
thanatology is spelled T-H-A-N-A-T-O-L-O-G-Y: 11 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 63 million words in written English, the 249,463rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, thanatology means “The scientific study of death and the practices associated with it, including the study of the needs of the terminally ill and their families” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of thanatology is thanatologies.
How many letters and syllables are in thanatology?
| Letters | 11: T-H-A-N-A-T-O-L-O-G-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 63 million words; the 249,463rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is thanatology?
Thanatology appears about once in every 63 million words in written English, the 249,463rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce thanatology?
- UK /θan.əˈtɒl.əd͡ʒ.i/
- US /ˌθæ.nəˈtɑl.əd͡ʒ.i/
Thanatology has 5 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Yangolin-thanatology.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with thanatology?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as thanatology from its last stressed vowel (/ɑlədʒi/):
- technology
- psychology
- biology
- apology
- ideology
- methodology
- sociology
- geology
- ecology
- terminology
- anthropology
- mythology
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of thanatology
- thanatologies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does thanatology mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The scientific study of death and the practices associated with it, including the study of the needs of the terminally ill and their families.
Meronym: mortuary science
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Thanatology in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense scientific study of death:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | thanatologie |
| German | Sterbensforschung |
| Portuguese | tanatologia |
| Spanish | tanatología |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does thanatology come from?
From thanato- + -logy, from Ancient Greek θάνατος (thánatos, “death”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).