adults

/ˈædʌlts/

//ˈædʌlts// noun

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

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

The verdict

“adults” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,509. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,509
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - plural of adult

Corpus desk

Index EN-adults · adults · English

adults · rank #2,509 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,509
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Wales

Nearest frequency peer: Wales (-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 “adults”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “adults” 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).

adults vs amulets
71% similar
adults vs adult
83% similar
adults vs admits
67% similar

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

Key facts for adults
PropertyValue
Headwordadults
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈædʌlts/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,509
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “adults”

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).adultslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Wales” (#2,508), “affect” (#2,510), “tickets” (#2,507). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “adults” is #2,509. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around adults (IPA /ˈædʌlts/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,509 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "plural of adult".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for adults, with forms such as "addults", "adluts", and "adullts". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "amulets", "adult", "admits", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is adults, spelled A-D-U-L-T-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of adult

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • addults
  • adluts
  • adullts
  • adulst
  • adultss
  • adultts
  • adutls
  • audlts
  • daults

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

addults1adluts2adullts1adulst2adultss1adultts1adutls2audlts2
Edit distance from "adults"

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 "adults"?
"adults" is spelled A-D-U-L-T-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈædʌlts/.
What does "adults" mean?
As a noun, "adults" means: plural of adult
What words are commonly confused with "adults"?
"adults" is commonly confused with "amulets", "adult", "admits". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "adults"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "adults" is /ˈædʌlts/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "adults" come from?
"adults" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "adults", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

affect#2,510threat#2,506switch#2,504shares#2,502

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

danger9 variantsmainly9 variantsdreams9 variantsfields9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list