devilish
/ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/adjective, adverb
devilish is spelled D-E-V-I-L-I-S-H: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, devilish means “Resembling a devil” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in devilish?
| Letters | 8: D-E-V-I-L-I-S-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,320th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is devilish?
Devilish appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce devilish?
- /ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/
- /ˈdɛvɪlɪʃ/
Devilish has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-devilish.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of devilish
- more devilish comparative
- most devilish superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does devilish mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Resembling a devil.
- 2
Evil, wicked.
- 3
Roguish or mischievous.
a devilish grin
- 4
informalExcessive, extreme.
A devilish effort yielded a devilish success.
adverb
- 1
datedinformalDevilishly; very; exceedingly.
It was devilish hot outside today.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Devilish in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | diabolique , infernal |
| German | teuflisch |
| Portuguese | diabólico , extremo |
| Spanish | diabólico |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does devilish come from?
From Middle English develissh, develyssh, equivalent to devil + -ish. Cognate with Saterland Frisian düvelsk, düüwelsk (“devilish”), West Frisian duvelsk (“devilish”), Dutch duivels (“devilish”), German Low German düvelsk (“devilish”), German teuflisch (“devilish”), Danish djævelsk (“devilish”), Swedish djävulsk (“devilish”), Norwegian djevelsk (“devilish”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).