autist

/ˈɔː.tɪst/

//ˈɔː.tɪst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“autist” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An autistic person, a person with autism.

Key facts for autist
PropertyValue
Headwordautist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɔː.tɪst/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “autist” sits in English frequency

autist 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.

Rare enough to double-check

autist is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɔː.tɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for autist, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From autism + -ist. The correct English form is autist, spelled A-U-T-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An autistic person, a person with autism.
  2. 2
    A person characterized by abnormal and unhealthy focus or persistence, low self-awareness and unhealthy hatred of opposition or criticism.

Etymology

From autism + -ist.

This word in other languages

autista(Español)autiste(Français)Autist(Deutsch)

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 "autist"?
"autist" is spelled A-U-T-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɔː.tɪst/.
What does "autist" mean?
As a noun, "autist" means: An autistic person, a person with autism.
How do you pronounce "autist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "autist" is /ˈɔː.tɪst/. 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 "autist"?
From autism + -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.

Using “autist”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-U-T-I-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɔː.tɪst/ (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.

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

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