characteristic

/ˌkæɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk/

//ˌkæɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk// adj

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

"characteristic" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“characteristic” has 22 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,428. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,428
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
22
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Being a distinguishing feature of a person or thing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-characteristic · characteristic · English

characteristic · rank #7,428 · 22 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,428
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 22 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH certification

Nearest frequency peer: certification (-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 “characteristic”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “characteristic” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

characteristic vs characteristics
93% similar

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

Key facts for characteristic
PropertyValue
Headwordcharacteristic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌkæɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk/
Letters14
Frequency rank#7,428
Misspellings tracked22
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “characteristic” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).characteristic lands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 22 spelling variants around characteristic (IPA /ˌkæɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #7,428 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Being a distinguishing feature of a person or thing.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 22 likely wrong-spelling variants for characteristic, with forms such as "cahracteristic", "ccharacteristic", and "chaarcteristic". 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, "characteristics", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek χαρακτηριστικός (kharaktēristikós), from χαρακτηρίζω (kharaktērízō, “to designate by a characteristic mark”), from χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “a mark, character”). By surface analysis, character + -istic. The correct English form is characteristic, spelled C-H-A-R-A-C-T-E-R-I-S-T-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Being a distinguishing feature of a person or thing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. All this was extraordinarily distasteful to Churchill. It was ugly, gross. Never before had he felt such repulsion when the vicar displayed his characteristic bluntness or coarseness of speech. In the present connexion […] such talk had been distressingly out of place.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek χαρακτηριστικός (kharaktēristikós), from χαρακτηρίζω (kharaktērízō, “to designate by a characteristic mark”), from χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “a mark, character”). By surface analysis, character + -istic.

Synonyms

distinctiveexclusiveidiosyncraticindicativerepresentativesignaturespecifictypicalproper

Antonyms

uncharacteristicuntypical

This word in other languages

característico(Español)caractéristique(Français)charakteristisch(Deutsch)característico(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cahracteristic
  • ccharacteristic
  • chaarcteristic
  • characcteristic
  • characetristic
  • characteirstic
  • characterisitc
  • characterisstic
  • characteristci
  • characteristicc
  • characteristtic
  • characteritsic
  • characterristic
  • charactersitic
  • charactreistic
  • charactteristic
  • charatceristic
  • charcateristic
  • charracteristic
  • chharacteristic
  • chraacteristic
  • hcaracteristic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cahracteristic2ccharacteristic1chaarcteristic2characcteristic1characetristic2characteirstic2characterisitc2characterisstic1
Edit distance from "characteristic"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "characteristic"?
"characteristic" is spelled C-H-A-R-A-C-T-E-R-I-S-T-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkæɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk/.
What does "characteristic" mean?
As an adjective, "characteristic" means: Being a distinguishing feature of a person or thing.
What words are commonly confused with "characteristic"?
"characteristic" is commonly confused with "characteristics". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "characteristic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "characteristic" is /ˌkæɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk/. 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 "characteristic"?
From Ancient Greek χαρακτηριστικός (kharaktēristikós), from χαρακτηρίζω (kharaktērízō, “to designate by a characteristic mark”), from χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “a mark, character”). By surface analysis, character + -istic. 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 "characteristic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 14 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

superintendent#7,505rehabilitation#7,274reconstruction#7,602disappointment#7,007

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (22 here; floor ≥5).

strengthening22 variantsdemonstrations22 variantsinterpretation22 variantsimplementation22 variants

What to do next

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

  • This headword has one recorded confusable pair with "characteristics". View pair
  • 22 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #7,428 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

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