appetite

/ˈæp.ɪ.taɪt/

//ˈæp.ɪ.taɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“appetite” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,636. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,636
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A desire to eat food or consume drinks.

Corpus desk

Index EN-appetite · appetite · English

appetite · rank #8,636 · 9 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,636
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH backyard

Nearest frequency peer: backyard (+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 “appetite”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “appetite” 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).

appetite vs appetizer
78% similar

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

Key facts for appetite
PropertyValue
Headwordappetite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæp.ɪ.taɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#8,636
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “appetite”

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).appetitelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “backyard” (#8,637), “alley” (#8,634), “beth” (#8,638). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “appetite” is #8,636. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around appetite (IPA /ˈæp.ɪ.taɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,636 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for appetite, with forms such as "apeptite", "apetite", and "appeitte". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "appetizer", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English appetit, from Old French apetit (French appétit), from Latin appetitus, from appetere (“to strive after, long for”); ad + petere (“to seek”). See petition, and compare with appetence. The correct English form is appetite, spelled A-P-P-E-T-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A desire to eat food or consume drinks.
  2. 2
    Any strong desire; an eagerness or longing.
  3. 3
    The desire for some personal gratification, either of the body or of the mind.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And I return with an excellent appetite. There can be no question, my dear Watson, of the value of exercise before breakfast.
  2. The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite. There is something humiliating about it.

Etymology

From Middle English appetit, from Old French apetit (French appétit), from Latin appetitus, from appetere (“to strive after, long for”); ad + petere (“to seek”). See petition, and compare with appetence.

Synonyms

cravinglongingdesireappetencypassion

This word in other languages

apetito(Español)appétit(Français)Appetit(Deutsch)apetite(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apeptite
  • apetite
  • appeitte
  • appetiet
  • appetitte
  • appettie
  • appettite
  • appteite
  • papetite

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of appetite - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

apeptite2apetite1appeitte2appetiet2appetitte1appettie2appettite1appteite2
Edit distance from "appetite"

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 "appetite"?
"appetite" is spelled A-P-P-E-T-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæp.ɪ.taɪt/.
What does "appetite" mean?
As a noun, "appetite" means: A desire to eat food or consume drinks.
What words are commonly confused with "appetite"?
"appetite" is commonly confused with "appetizer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "appetite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "appetite" is /ˈæp.ɪ.taɪt/. 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 "appetite"?
From Middle English appetit, from Old French apetit (French appétit), from Latin appetitus, from appetere (“to strive after, long for”); ad + petere (“to seek”). See petition, and compare with appetence. 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 "appetite", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

backyard#8,637uniforms#8,622tribunal#8,620dominate#8,658

Similar misspelling depth

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

abusive9 variantsyearly9 variantsblades9 variantscables9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list