beautiful

/ˈbjuːtɪ.fəl/

//ˈbjuːtɪ.fəl// adj

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

"beautiful" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“beautiful” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #604 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#604
frequency rank, English
9
letters
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Possessing beauty, impressing the eye; attractive.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

beautiful vs beautifully
82% similar

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

Key facts for beautiful
PropertyValue
Headwordbeautiful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈbjuːtɪ.fəl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#604
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “beautiful” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). beautiful lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for beautiful is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbjuːtɪ.fəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #604 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for beautiful, with forms such as "baeutiful", "bbeautiful", and "beatuiful". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "beautifully", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂-der.? Proto-Italic *dwenos Old Latin duenos Old Latin duonusder. Old Latin *duenelos Vulgar Latin bellus Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Vulgar La… The correct English form is beautiful, spelled B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Possessing beauty, impressing the eye; attractive.
  2. 2
    Possessing beauty, impressing the eye; attractive.
  3. 3
    That one likes very much.
  4. 4
    Affording pleasure to any of the senses, especially that of hearing; delightful.
  5. 5
    Impressing with charm in an intellectual or moral way, through inherent suitability or elegance.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂-der.? Proto-Italic *dwenos Old Latin duenos Old Latin duonusder. Old Latin *duenelos Vulgar Latin bellus Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Vulgar Latin -tās Vulgar Latin *bellitātem Anglo-Norman biautébor. Middle English beaute Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós Proto-Germanic *fullaz Proto-Germanic *-fullaz Old English -ful Middle English -ful Middle English bewteful English beautiful From Middle English bewteful, beautefull (“attractive to the eye, beautiful”), equivalent to beauty + -ful. In this sense, largely displaced Old English fæġer (whence fair).

Synonyms

beauteousattractivecutefairgood-lookinggorgeoussheenhandsomehotlovelynice-lookingprettyshapelyfitclearfinenicepleasantsunnyexcellentexceptionalgoodgreatmarvellousmarvelousperfectstylishwonderfulgreatmarvellousmarvelousnicevery nicewonderfulbeautifoolbeautifulbeautimousbona varderingbonniebreathtakingcaptivatingcomelydivineesculentexquisitefetchingfine-lookinggood enough to eatheavenlyknockoutlovesomelustriouspersonableprettifulpulchritudinoussightlystunningswanlikewell-favouredwinsome

Antonyms

grotesquehideoushomelyplainmisshapenrepulsiveuglyunbeautifulbadcloudydullmiserableovercastrainywetaveragebadmediocrepoorshoddysubstandardterribleweakdisgusting

This word in other languages

hermoso(Español)beau(Français)schön(Deutsch)belo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: baeutiful,bbeautiful,beatuiful,beauitful,beautfiul,beautifful,beautiflu,beautifull,beautiufl,beauttiful,beuatiful,ebautiful

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of beautiful - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

baeutiful2bbeautiful1beatuiful2beauitful2beautfiul2beautifful1beautiflu2beautifull1
Edit distance from "beautiful"

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 "beautiful"?
"beautiful" is spelled B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbjuːtɪ.fəl/.
What does "beautiful" mean?
As an adjective, "beautiful" means: Possessing beauty, impressing the eye; attractive.
What words are commonly confused with "beautiful"?
"beautiful" is commonly confused with "beautifully". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "beautiful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "beautiful" is /ˈbjuːtɪ.fəl/. 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 "beautiful"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂-der.? Proto-Italic *dwenos Old Latin duenos Old Latin duonusder. Old Latin *duenelos Vulgar Latin bellus Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts... 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 “beautiful”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbjuːtɪ.fəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “beautifully” - see the side-by-side comparison. beautiful vs beautifully
  • 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