childish

/ˈt͡ʃaɪldɪʃ/

//ˈt͡ʃaɪldɪʃ// adj

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

"childish" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“childish” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,662. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,662
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Immature in thought or behaviour.

Corpus desk

Index EN-childish · childish · English

childish · rank #10,662 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #10,662
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH chang

Nearest frequency peer: chang (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “childish”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “childish” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

childish vs childs
75% similar

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

Key facts for childish
PropertyValue
Headwordchildish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈt͡ʃaɪldɪʃ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,662
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “childish”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “chang” (#10,661), “chili” (#10,663), “ceremonies” (#10,660). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “childish” is #10,662. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around childish (IPA /ˈt͡ʃaɪldɪʃ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #10,662 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for childish, with forms such as "cchildish", "chhildish", and "chidlish". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "childs", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English childisch, from Old English ċildisċ. By surface analysis, child + ish. The correct English form is childish, spelled C-H-I-L-D-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Immature in thought or behaviour.
  2. 2
    Suitable for or expected of a child.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Your childish temper tantrums are not going to change my decision on this matter.
  2. This game is very childish.

Etymology

From Middle English childisch, from Old English ċildisċ. By surface analysis, child + ish.

Synonyms

infantileimmaturesillyunbecomingjuvenilepuerilechildlykiddishchildchildlikebabishbabyishbairnishchildishdootsiehissylactifluousinfantinemilky

Antonyms

adultishmatureadultadultlike

This word in other languages

infantil(Español)puéril(Français)kindisch(Deutsch)infantil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cchildish
  • chhildish
  • chidlish
  • childdish
  • childihs
  • childishh
  • childissh
  • childsih
  • chilidsh
  • chilldish
  • chlidish
  • cihldish
  • hcildish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of childish - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cchildish1chhildish1chidlish2childdish1childihs2childishh1childissh1childsih2
Edit distance from "childish"

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 "childish"?
"childish" is spelled C-H-I-L-D-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃaɪldɪʃ/.
What does "childish" mean?
As an adjective, "childish" means: Immature in thought or behaviour.
What words are commonly confused with "childish"?
"childish" is commonly confused with "childs". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "childish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "childish" is /ˈt͡ʃaɪldɪʃ/. 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 "childish"?
From Middle English childisch, from Old English ċildisċ. By surface analysis, child + 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

combines#10,667brighter#10,656bankrupt#10,654covenant#10,673

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

bacterial13 variantssystemic13 variantsscrutiny13 variantsmillionaire13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list