babish

/ˈbeɪb.ɪʃ/

//ˈbeɪb.ɪʃ// adj

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Like a babe; childish; babyish.

Corpus desk

Index EN-babish · babish · English

babish · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for babish
PropertyValue
Headwordbabish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈbeɪb.ɪʃ/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “babish” in English

babishfalls 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

babish is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈbeɪb.ɪʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Like a babe; childish; babyish.".

babish has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From babe + -ish. The correct English form is babish, spelled B-A-B-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Like a babe; childish; babyish.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Spoons, you know, are to feed us with weak and thin food, even with that which best suiteth with weak stomachs, or with a babish temper.
  2. For, if a young gentleman be demure and still of mature, they say he is simple and lacketh wit; if he be bashful, and will soon blush, they call him a babish and ill brought up thing;

Etymology

From babe + -ish.

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 "babish"?
"babish" is spelled B-A-B-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbeɪb.ɪʃ/.
What does "babish" mean?
As an adjective, "babish" means: Like a babe; childish; babyish.
How do you pronounce "babish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "babish" is /ˈbeɪb.ɪʃ/. 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 "babish"?
From babe + -ish. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list