atavistic
/æt.əˈvɪs.tɪk/
"atavistic" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“atavistic” is an uncommon English word, ranked #80,208 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #80,208
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of the recurrence of a trait reappearing after an absence of one or more generations due to a chance recombination of genes.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | atavistic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /æt.əˈvɪs.tɪk/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #80,208 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “atavistic” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for atavistic is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /æt.əˈvɪs.tɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #80,208 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for atavistic, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From atavism + -istic, from French atavisme, from Latin atavus (“ancestor”), from at + avus (“grandfather”). The correct English form is atavistic, spelled A-T-A-V-I-S-T-I-C.
Definition
- 1Of the recurrence of a trait reappearing after an absence of one or more generations due to a chance recombination of genes.
- 2Of a throwback or exhibiting primitivism.
- 3Relating to earlier, more primitive behavior that returns after an absence.
Etymology
From atavism + -istic, from French atavisme, from Latin atavus (“ancestor”), from at + avus (“grandfather”).
Synonyms
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); 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 "atavistic"?
What does "atavistic" mean?
How do you pronounce "atavistic"?
What is the origin of the word "atavistic"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “atavistic”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-T-A-V-I-S-T-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /æt.əˈvɪs.tɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.