churlish

/ˈtʃɜːlɪʃ/

//ˈtʃɜːlɪʃ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“churlish” is uncommon English (frequency #75,727 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,727
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to a serf, peasant, or rustic.

Corpus desk

Index EN-churlish · churlish · English

churlish · rank #75,727 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,727
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Chuka

Nearest frequency peer: Chuka (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “churlish”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “churlish” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for churlish
PropertyValue
Headwordchurlish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtʃɜːlɪʃ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#75,727
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “churlish” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Chuka” (#75,726), “circumnavigation” (#75,728), “clambering” (#75,729). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “churlish” is #75,727. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

churlish is uncommon English at frequency #75,727 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈtʃɜːlɪʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

churlish has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English churlysshe, cherlissh, from late Old English ċeorlisċ, ċierlisċ (“of or pertaining to churls”), equivalent to churl + -ish. The correct English form is churlish, spelled C-H-U-R-L-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to a serf, peasant, or rustic.
  2. 2
    Rude, surly, ungracious.
  3. 3
    Stingy or grudging.
  4. 4
    Difficult to till, lacking pliancy; unmanageable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] the eloquence and truth of his tribute stands in marked contrast to Kramer's churlish caricature of Kael as a happy pig wallowing in the dirt.
  2. [A]nd it is without all controuerſie, that learning doth make the minds of men gentle, generous, maniable, and pliant to gouernment; whereas Ignorance makes them churliſh, thwart, and mutinous; […]

Etymology

From Middle English churlysshe, cherlissh, from late Old English ċeorlisċ, ċierlisċ (“of or pertaining to churls”), equivalent to churl + -ish.

This word in other languages

paleto(Español)ungehobelt(Deutsch)rústico(Português)

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 "churlish"?
"churlish" is spelled C-H-U-R-L-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtʃɜːlɪʃ/.
What does "churlish" mean?
As an adjective, "churlish" means: Of or pertaining to a serf, peasant, or rustic.
How do you pronounce "churlish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "churlish" is /ˈtʃɜːlɪʃ/. 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 "churlish"?
From Middle English churlysshe, cherlissh, from late Old English ċeorlisċ, ċierlisċ (“of or pertaining to churls”), equivalent to churl + -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 "churlish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

chitosan#75,724chapbook#75,715cetacean#75,710Cullinan#75,773

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list