autodidactic
/ˌɔːtoʊdaɪˈdæktɪk/
"autodidactic" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“autodidactic” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of, relating to, or being an autodidact; self-taught; self-educated.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | autodidactic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌɔːtoʊdaɪˈdæktɪk/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “autodidactic” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
autodidactic is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌɔːtoʊdaɪˈdæktɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Of, relating to, or being an autodidact; self-taught; self-educated.".
No generated misspelling entries exist for autodidactic in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek αὐτοδίδακτος (autodídaktos), from αὐτός (autós, “self”) + διδάσκω (didáskō, “I teach”). By surface analysis, autodidact + -ic. The correct English form is autodidactic, spelled A-U-T-O-D-I-D-A-C-T-I-C.
Definition
- 1Of, relating to, or being an autodidact; self-taught; self-educated.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek αὐτοδίδακτος (autodídaktos), from αὐτός (autós, “self”) + διδάσκω (didáskō, “I teach”). By surface analysis, autodidact + -ic.
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
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Using “autodidactic”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-U-T-O-D-I-D-A-C-T-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌɔːtoʊdaɪˈdæktɪk/ (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.