adult

/ˈæd.ʌlt/

//ˈæd.ʌlt// noun

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

"adult" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“adult” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,654. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,654
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An animal that is full-grown.

Corpus desk

Index EN-adult · adult · English

adult · rank #1,654 · 7 variants · 17 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,654
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH weird

Nearest frequency peer: weird (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “adult”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “adult” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

adult vs alt
60% similar
adult vs aunt
60% similar
adult vs auld
60% similar

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

Key facts for adult
PropertyValue
Headwordadult
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæd.ʌlt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,654
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “adult”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).adultlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “weird” (#1,653), “apparently” (#1,655), “waste” (#1,652). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “adult” is #1,654. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around adult (IPA /ˈæd.ʌlt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,654 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for adult, with forms such as "addult", "adlut", and "adullt". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "alt", "aunt", "auld", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French adulte, from Latin adultus (“grown up”), perfect passive participle of adolescō (“I grow up”). Compare adolescent. The correct English form is adult, spelled A-D-U-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An animal that is full-grown.
  2. 2
    A person who has reached the legal age of majority.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The young not only differs from the adult by the presence of its gills, but its feet are only developed by degrees, and in several genera there are also a deciduous beak and tail, and intestines of a different form

Etymology

From French adulte, from Latin adultus (“grown up”), perfect passive participle of adolescō (“I grow up”). Compare adolescent.

Synonyms

grown upadultgrown-upgrownupgrowed-uppostpubescent

Antonyms

childyoungling

This word in other languages

adulto(Español)adulte(Français)Erwachsener(Deutsch)adulto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • addult
  • adlut
  • adullt
  • adultt
  • adutl
  • audlt
  • dault

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of adult - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

addult1adlut2adullt1adultt1adutl2audlt2dault2
Edit distance from "adult"

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 "adult"?
"adult" is spelled A-D-U-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæd.ʌlt/.
What does "adult" mean?
As a noun, "adult" means: An animal that is full-grown.
What words are commonly confused with "adult"?
"adult" is commonly confused with "alt", "aunt", "auld". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "adult"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "adult" is /ˈæd.ʌlt/. 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 "adult"?
From French adulte, from Latin adultus (“grown up”), perfect passive participle of adolescō (“I grow up”). Compare adolescent. 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 "adult", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

weird#1,653waste#1,652grade#1,660prime#1,642

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

stone7 variantswinner7 variantsbasis7 variantsagent7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list