bewitch

/bəˈwɪt͡ʃ/

//bəˈwɪt͡ʃ// verb

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

"bewitch" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bewitch” is uncommon English (frequency #93,463 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#93,463
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cast a spell upon.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bewitch · bewitch · English

bewitch · rank #93,463 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #93,463
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bew

Nearest frequency peer: Bew (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “bewitch”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “bewitch” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bewitch
PropertyValue
Headwordbewitch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bəˈwɪt͡ʃ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#93,463
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bewitch” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).bewitchlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Bew” (#93,462), “Beria” (#93,458), “biped” (#93,468). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bewitch is uncommon English at frequency #93,463 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /bəˈwɪt͡ʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for bewitch in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bewicchen, bewycchen, biwicchen, equivalent to be- + witch. The correct English form is bewitch, spelled B-E-W-I-T-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cast a spell upon.
  2. 2
    To fascinate or charm.
  3. 3
    To astonish, amaze.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And further, this examinate saith, that she sent both her spirits to Stonesby, to one Willison, a husbandman, and Robert Williman, a husbandman's son, and bade the kitten go to Willison and bewitch him to death, and the moldiwarp to the other and bewitch him to death, which they did, and within ten days they died.
  2. Afterwards Jim said the witches bewitched him and put him in a trance,[…]

Etymology

From Middle English bewicchen, bewycchen, biwicchen, equivalent to be- + witch.

This word in other languages

hechizar(Español)ensorceler(Français)verhexen(Deutsch)enfeitiçar(Português)

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 "bewitch"?
"bewitch" is spelled B-E-W-I-T-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /bəˈwɪt͡ʃ/.
What does "bewitch" mean?
As a verb, "bewitch" means: To cast a spell upon.
How do you pronounce "bewitch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bewitch" is /bəˈwɪt͡ʃ/. 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 "bewitch"?
From Middle English bewicchen, bewycchen, biwicchen, equivalent to be- + witch. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "bewitch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

banksia#93,434Bronwen#93,501Badajoz#93,424Arakawa#93,404

What to do next

You've looked up "bewitch". Here's where to go from here.

  • Usage frequency rank #93,463 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
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PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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