adultish

/ˈæd.ʌltɪʃ/

//ˈæd.ʌltɪʃ// adj

"adultish" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“adultish” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or suitable for an adult.

Corpus desk

Index EN-adultish · adultish · English

adultish · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for adultish
PropertyValue
Headwordadultish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈæd.ʌltɪʃ/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “adultish” in English

adultishranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

adultish is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈæd.ʌltɪʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Of or suitable for an adult.".

Zero misspellings are on record for adultish in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From adult + -ish. The correct English form is adultish, spelled A-D-U-L-T-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or suitable for an adult.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Her first adultish memory is of a piercing desire, a hunger for her mother, father, and brother that is tinged with fear.

Etymology

From adult + -ish.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "adultish"?
"adultish" is spelled A-D-U-L-T-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæd.ʌltɪʃ/.
What does "adultish" mean?
As an adjective, "adultish" means: Of or suitable for an adult.
How do you pronounce "adultish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "adultish" is /ˈæd.ʌltɪʃ/. 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 "adultish"?
From adult + -ish. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list