childlike
/ˈt͡ʃaɪldlaɪk/
"childlike" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“childlike” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,106. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #31,106
- frequency rank, English
- 5,599
- “C” headwords
- 14
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Innocent and trustful; credulous; artless.
Corpus desk
Index EN-childlike · childlike · English
childlike · rank #31,106 · 14 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-MID #31,106
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-HIGH 14 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 5,599
- PHOTO-FINISH chewy
Nearest frequency peer: chewy (-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 “childlike”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- Charlene
Charlene
68,898 corpus weight
- chewy
chewy
68,896 corpus weight
- childlike
childlike
68,895 corpus weight
- Chopin
Chopin
68,894 corpus weight
- cleanest
cleanest
68,893 corpus weight
- cleft
cleft
68,892 corpus weight
What this shows “childlike” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | childlike |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈt͡ʃaɪldlaɪk/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #31,106 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “childlike”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 14 spelling variants around childlike (IPA /ˈt͡ʃaɪldlaɪk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #31,106 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for childlike, with forms such as "cchildlike", "chhildlike", and "chidllike". 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. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From child + -like. The correct English form is childlike, spelled C-H-I-L-D-L-I-K-E.
Definition
- 1Innocent and trustful; credulous; artless.
- 2Of, like, or suitable for a child.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how childlike appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
According to the prevailing Danish rationale, Greenlanders were naïve and childlike, in need of protection and incapable of governing themselves.
Even Mario is given childlike mannerisms – running open-armed like a fearless toddler, whooping with delight – to convey playful innocence.
Etymology
From child + -like.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- cchildlike
- chhildlike
- chidllike
- childdlike
- childilke
- childliek
- childlikke
- childlkie
- childllike
- chilldike
- chilldlike
- chlidlike
- cihldlike
- hcildlike
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of childlike - 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.
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 "childlike"?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "childlike", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).