# adolescent

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˌæd.əˈlɛs.ənt/ · frequency rank #13,277

## Definitions
1. Of, relating to, or at the age of adolescence; at the stage between being a child and an adult.

## Etymology
First attested ?1440, from Middle English adolescent, from Middle French adolescent or directly from Latin adolescentem, accusative form of adolescens, present participle of adolēscere (“to become adult, grow up”), from ad- (“to”) + alēscere (“to grow or become nourished”). The adjective first appeared in 1785.

## Easily confused with
- **adolescence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/adolescence-vs-adolescent)

## Common misspellings (15)
`addolescent`, `adloescent`, `adoelscent`, `adolecsent`, `adolesccent`, `adolescennt`, `adolescentt`, `adolescetn`, `adolescnet`, `adolesecnt`, `adolesscent`, `adollescent`, `adolsecent`, `aodlescent`, `daolescent`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/adolescent