childish
child·ish/ˈt͡ʃaɪldɪʃ/adjective
childish is spelled C-H-I-L-D-I-S-H: 8 letters and 2 syllables (child·ish). It appears 5.4 times per million words in written English, the 10,680th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, childish means “Immature in thought or behaviour” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in childish?
| Letters | 8: C-H-I-L-D-I-S-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: child·ish |
| In writing | 5.4 times per million words; the 10,680th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is childish?
Childish appears 5.4 times per million words in written English, the 10,680th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce childish?
- /ˈt͡ʃaɪldɪʃ/
Childish has 2 syllables, split child·ish in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-childish.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of childish
- more childish comparative
- most childish superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does childish mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Immature in thought or behaviour.
Your childish temper tantrums are not going to change my decision on this matter.
- 2
Suitable for or expected of a child.
This game is very childish.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Childish in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | puéril, gamin , enfantin |
| German | kindisch , kindlich, kindgerecht |
| Portuguese | infantil, imaturo |
| Spanish | infantil, infantiloide, pueril, aniñado, niñato , para niños |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does childish come from?
From Middle English childisch, from Old English ċildisċ. By surface analysis, child + -ish.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).