Zoroaster

/ˌzɒɹoʊˈæstəɹ/

//ˌzɒɹoʊˈæstəɹ// name

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

The verdict

“Zoroaster” is uncommon English (frequency #85,964 among 2,810 “Z” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,964
frequency rank, English
2,810
“Z” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An ancient Iranian prophet after whom the indigenous Iranian ethnic religion, Zoroastrianism, is named, also venerated in Mithraism.

Corpus desk

Index EN-zoroaster · Zoroaster · English

Zoroaster · rank #85,964 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,964
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,810
  • PHOTO-FINISH zhe

Nearest frequency peer: zhe (-3 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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “Zoroaster”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “Zoroaster” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for Zoroaster
PropertyValue
HeadwordZoroaster
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˌzɒɹoʊˈæstəɹ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#85,964
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Zoroaster” 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). Zoroaster lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Zoroaster is uncommon English at frequency #85,964 among 2,810 “Z” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˌzɒɹoʊˈæstəɹ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zoroaster has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin Zōroastrēs, from Ancient Greek Ζωροάστρης (Zōroástrēs), from Avestan 𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬚𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀 (zaraθuštra). Doublet of Zarathustra. The correct English form is Zoroaster, spelled Z-O-R-O-A-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An ancient Iranian prophet after whom the indigenous Iranian ethnic religion, Zoroastrianism, is named, also venerated in Mithraism.
  2. 2
    Pseudepigraphic name used by various Ancient Greek and Latin authors of late antiquity to lend weight to their opinions.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin Zōroastrēs, from Ancient Greek Ζωροάστρης (Zōroástrēs), from Avestan 𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬚𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀 (zaraθuštra). Doublet of Zarathustra.

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); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Zoroaster"?
"Zoroaster" is spelled Z-O-R-O-A-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌzɒɹoʊˈæstəɹ/.
What does "Zoroaster" mean?
As a proper noun, "Zoroaster" means: An ancient Iranian prophet after whom the indigenous Iranian ethnic religion, Zoroastrianism, is named, also venerated in Mithraism.
How do you pronounce "Zoroaster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Zoroaster" is /ˌzɒɹoʊˈæstəɹ/. 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 "Zoroaster"?
Learned borrowing from Latin Zōroastrēs, from Ancient Greek Ζωροάστρης (Zōroástrēs), from Avestan 𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬚𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀 (zaraθuštra). Doublet of Zarathustra. 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 "Zoroaster", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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