theophany

/θiːˈɒfəni/

//θiːˈɒfəni// noun

"theophany" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A manifestation of a deity to a person.

Corpus desk

Index EN-theophany · theophany · English

theophany · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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.

Key facts for theophany
PropertyValue
Headwordtheophany
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/θiːˈɒfəni/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “theophany” in English

theophanyranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

theophany is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /θiːˈɒfəni/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A manifestation of a deity to a person.".

theophany has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin theophania, corresponding to theo- + -phany, from θεός (theós, “God”) + φαίνω (phaínō, “I shine, appear”). The correct English form is theophany, spelled T-H-E-O-P-H-A-N-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A manifestation of a deity to a person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how theophany appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. It was a bewildering theophany, since it was impossible to make out anything clearly in the stormy obscurity of thunder, lightning, smoke and wind.

Etymology

From Late Latin theophania, corresponding to theo- + -phany, from θεός (theós, “God”) + φαίνω (phaínō, “I shine, appear”).

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "theophany"?
"theophany" is spelled T-H-E-O-P-H-A-N-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /θiːˈɒfəni/.
What does "theophany" mean?
As a noun, "theophany" means: A manifestation of a deity to a person.
How do you pronounce "theophany"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "theophany" is /θiːˈɒfəni/. 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 "theophany"?
From Late Latin theophania, corresponding to theo- + -phany, from θεός (theós, “God”) + φαίνω (phaínō, “I shine, appear”). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list