Thecla
/θɛklə/
"thecla" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Thecla” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A female given name from Ancient Greek.
Corpus desk
Index EN-thecla · Thecla · English
Thecla · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "T" 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Thecla |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /θɛklə/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “Thecla” in English
Rare enough to double-check
Thecla is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /θɛklə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for Thecla in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the name of an apocryphal early Christian martyr, Ancient Greek Θεοκλεία (Theokleía), (from θεός (theós, “god”) + κλέος (kléos, “glory”)). The correct English form is Thecla, spelled T-H-E-C-L-A.
Definition
- 1A female given name from Ancient Greek.
- 2An early Christian saint, whose life is recorded in the apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how Thecla appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
1990, Karen Armstrong, 8: Karen Armstrong: The Acts of Paul and Thecla, Ann Loades, Feminist Theology: A Reader, page 83, One of the first of the virgin saints to act as an important role model for women was Thecla, the legendary disciple of St Paul.
In the context of impending martyrdom, the beauty of Thecla’s virgin body connotes dynamis owing less to the eros she evokes and more to the chastity, piety, and resistance she promotes.⁶⁹ That Thecla is also an object of erotic desire, however, is evidenced in men's reactions to her.
Etymology
From the name of an apocryphal early Christian martyr, Ancient Greek Θεοκλεία (Theokleía), (from θεός (theós, “god”) + κλέος (kléos, “glory”)).
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.