angelfish

noun

"angelfish" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“angelfish” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of the genus Pterophyllum of freshwater, tropical cichlids.

Key facts for angelfish
PropertyValue
Headwordangelfish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “angelfish” sits in English frequency

angelfish falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for angelfish is 9 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

angelfish has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From angel + fish; so called for its wing-like pectoral fins. The correct English form is angelfish, spelled A-N-G-E-L-F-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the genus Pterophyllum of freshwater, tropical cichlids.
  2. 2
    Any marine fish of the family Pomacanthidae, common on shallow tropical reefs.
  3. 3
    Atlantic pomfret (Brama brama).
  4. 4
    Angelshark, of the family Squatinidae.
  5. 5
    Atlantic spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber).
  6. 6
    cave angelfish, a karst-dwelling member of the family Balitoridae, found only in Thailand.

Etymology

From angel + fish; so called for its wing-like pectoral fins.

This word in other languages

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 "angelfish"?
"angelfish" is spelled A-N-G-E-L-F-I-S-H.
What does "angelfish" mean?
As a noun, "angelfish" means: Any of the genus Pterophyllum of freshwater, tropical cichlids.
What is the origin of the word "angelfish"?
From angel + fish; so called for its wing-like pectoral fins. 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.

Using “angelfish”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-N-G-E-L-F-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list