worship

/ˈwɜː.ʃɪp/

//ˈwɜː.ʃɪp// noun

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

"worship" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“worship” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,423 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,423
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The devotion accorded to a deity or to a sacred object.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

worship vs worshiped
78% similar
worship vs warship
86% similar
worship vs workshop
75% similar

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

Key facts for worship
PropertyValue
Headwordworship
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɜː.ʃɪp/
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,423
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “worship” 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). worship lands here:

#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 worship is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈwɜː.ʃɪp/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,423 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for worship, with forms such as "owrship", "worhsip", and "worrship". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "worshiped", "warship", "workshop", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English worschippe /worthschipe, inherited from Old English weorþsċiepe. Cognate with Scots worschip (“worship”). By surface analysis, wor(th) + -ship. The correct English form is worship, spelled W-O-R-S-H-I-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    The devotion accorded to a deity or to a sacred object.
  2. 2
    The adoration (or latria) owed to God alone, as greater than the hyperveneration / hyper-veneration (or hyperdulia) that is given to Saint Mary only and the veneration (or dulia) accorded to all other Roman Catholic saints.
  3. 3
    The religious ceremonies that express this devotion.
  4. 4
    Voluntary, utter submission; voluntary, utter deference.
  5. 5
    Ardent love.
  6. 6
    An object of worship.
  7. 7
    Used as a title or term of address for various officials, including magistrates.
  8. 8
    Honour; respect; civil deference.
  9. 9
    The condition of being worthy; honour, distinction.
  10. 10
    The fact of an artist's music heavily drawing influence from some other artist's work in a way that appears too obvious or unapologetic; a piece of music that does that.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English worschippe /worthschipe, inherited from Old English weorþsċiepe. Cognate with Scots worschip (“worship”). By surface analysis, wor(th) + -ship.

Synonyms

praiseworship

This word in other languages

adoración(Español)culte(Français)Verehrung(Deutsch)adoração(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: owrship,worhsip,worrship,worshhip,worshipp,worshpi,worsihp,worsship,wosrhip,wroship,wworship

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

owrship2worhsip2worrship1worshhip1worshipp1worshpi2worsihp2worsship1
Edit distance from "worship"

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 "worship"?
"worship" is spelled W-O-R-S-H-I-P. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɜː.ʃɪp/.
What does "worship" mean?
As a noun, "worship" means: The devotion accorded to a deity or to a sacred object.
What words are commonly confused with "worship"?
"worship" is commonly confused with "worshiped", "warship", "workshop". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "worship"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "worship" is /ˈwɜː.ʃɪp/. 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 "worship"?
Inherited from Middle English worschippe /worthschipe, inherited from Old English weorþsċiepe. Cognate with Scots worschip (“worship”). By surface analysis, wor(th) + -ship. 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 “worship”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-O-R-S-H-I-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈwɜː.ʃɪp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “worshiped” - see the side-by-side comparison. worship vs worshiped
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list