ageist

/ˈeɪ̯.dʒɪst/

//ˈeɪ̯.dʒɪst// adj

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

The verdict

“ageist” is uncommon English (frequency #87,005 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,005
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unfairly discriminatory against someone based on their age.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ageist · ageist · English

ageist · rank #87,005 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #87,005
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Aeron

Nearest frequency peer: Aeron (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “ageist”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ageist” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ageist
PropertyValue
Headwordageist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈeɪ̯.dʒɪst/
Letters6
Frequency rank#87,005
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ageist” in English

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).ageistfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Aeron” (#87,003), “Adem” (#87,002), “Ajo” (#87,009). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “ageist” is #87,005. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ageist is uncommon English at frequency #87,005 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈeɪ̯.dʒɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Unfairly discriminatory against someone based on their age.".

Zero misspellings are on record for ageist in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From age + -ist. The correct English form is ageist, spelled A-G-E-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unfairly discriminatory against someone based on their age.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Upon hearing that his employer would soon require yearly physical examinations and vision screening, my father exclaimed that the policy was ageist.
  2. Even though she had succeeded in the phone interview, when the ageist employer learned that the candidate was only 18 years old, she became hesitant.

Etymology

From age + -ist.

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 "ageist"?
"ageist" is spelled A-G-E-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈeɪ̯.dʒɪst/.
What does "ageist" mean?
As an adjective, "ageist" means: Unfairly discriminatory against someone based on their age.
How do you pronounce "ageist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ageist" is /ˈeɪ̯.dʒɪst/. 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 "ageist"?
From age + -ist. 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 "ageist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list