conversationalist

/ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃənəlɪst/

//ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃənəlɪst// noun

"conversationalist" is a 17-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“conversationalist” is uncommon English (frequency #63,525 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,525
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who participates in a conversation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-conversationalist · conversationalist · English

conversationalist · rank #63,525 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,525
  • LEN-MEGA 17 letters
  • VOW-7 7 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH copse

Nearest frequency peer: copse (+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 “conversationalist”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for conversationalist
PropertyValue
Headwordconversationalist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃənəlɪst/
Letters17
Frequency rank#63,525
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “conversationalist” 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).conversationalistfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “copse” (#63,526), “confiding” (#63,523), “cormorant” (#63,528). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “conversationalist” is #63,525. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

conversationalist is uncommon English at frequency #63,525 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃənəlɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for conversationalist, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From conversational + -ist. The correct English form is conversationalist, spelled C-O-N-V-E-R-S-A-T-I-O-N-A-L-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who participates in a conversation.
  2. 2
    A person skilled in general conversation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. If you can just ask questions about a person and nod sagely then they will leave thinking you are a brilliant conversationalist.
  2. But Shulgin, while a nimble conversationalist, can have trouble with names — of people and places, never chemicals.

Etymology

From conversational + -ist.

This word in other languages

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 "conversationalist"?
"conversationalist" is spelled C-O-N-V-E-R-S-A-T-I-O-N-A-L-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃənəlɪst/.
What does "conversationalist" mean?
As a noun, "conversationalist" means: A person who participates in a conversation.
How do you pronounce "conversationalist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "conversationalist" is /ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃənəlɪst/. 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 "conversationalist"?
From conversational + -ist. 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 "conversationalist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 17 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list