childlike
/ˈt͡ʃaɪldlaɪk/
"childlike" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“childlike” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #31,106 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #31,106
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Innocent and trustful; credulous; artless.
| 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) |
Where “childlike” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for childlike is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈt͡ʃaɪldlaɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #31,106 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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.
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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Using “childlike”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-H-I-L-D-L-I-K-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈt͡ʃaɪldlaɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.