zealot

/ˈzɛl.ət/

//ˈzɛl.ət// noun

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

"zealot" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“zealot” is uncommon English (frequency #52,735 among 265 “Z” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,735
frequency rank, English
265
“Z” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who is zealous, one who is full of zeal for their own specific beliefs or objectives, usually in the negative sense of being too passionate; a fanatic.

Corpus desk

Index EN-zealot · zealot · English

zealot · rank #52,735 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,735
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 265
  • PHOTO-FINISH YHWH

Nearest frequency peer: YHWH (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “zealot”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “zealot” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for zealot
PropertyValue
Headwordzealot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈzɛl.ət/
Letters6
Frequency rank#52,735
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “zealot” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).zealotfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “YHWH” (#52,734), “zoologist” (#52,736), “yeet” (#52,733). Among 265 “Z” headwords, “zealot” is #52,735. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

zealot is uncommon English at frequency #52,735 among 265 “Z” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈzɛl.ət/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for zealot, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Initially only found as Middle English zelote, an epithet of Simon the Zealot, acquiring its current senses in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Middle English derives from Latin zēlōtēs, from Ancient Greek ζηλωτής (zēlōtḗs, “emulator, zealous admirer, follo… The correct English form is zealot, spelled Z-E-A-L-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who is zealous, one who is full of zeal for their own specific beliefs or objectives, usually in the negative sense of being too passionate; a fanatic.
  2. 2
    A member of a radical, warlike, ardently patriotic group of Jews in Judea, particularly prominent in the first century, who advocated the violent overthrow of Roman rule and vigorously resisted the efforts of the Romans and their supporters to convert the Jews.
  3. 3
    A member of an anti-aristocratic political group in Thessalonica from 1342 until 1350.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. For Modes of Faith let graceleſs zealots fight; / His can't be wrong whoſe life is in the right:

Etymology

Initially only found as Middle English zelote, an epithet of Simon the Zealot, acquiring its current senses in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Middle English derives from Latin zēlōtēs, from Ancient Greek ζηλωτής (zēlōtḗs, “emulator, zealous admirer, follower”), from ζηλόω (zēlóō, “to emulate, to be jealous”), from ζῆλος (zêlos, “zeal, jealousy”).

This word in other languages

fanático(Español)fanatique(Français)Eiferer(Deutsch)zeloso(Português)

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 "zealot"?
"zealot" is spelled Z-E-A-L-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈzɛl.ət/.
What does "zealot" mean?
As a noun, "zealot" means: One who is zealous, one who is full of zeal for their own specific beliefs or objectives, usually in the negative sense of being too passionate; a fanatic.
How do you pronounce "zealot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zealot" is /ˈzɛl.ət/. 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 "zealot"?
Initially only found as Middle English zelote, an epithet of Simon the Zealot, acquiring its current senses in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Middle English derives from Latin zēlōtēs, from Ancient Greek ζηλωτής (zēlōtḗs, “emulator, zealous admi... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "zealot", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Xanadu#52,729wining#52,723abbess#52,748accede#52,754

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list