devilish

/ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/

//ˈdɛvəlɪʃ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“devilish” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,256. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,256
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Resembling a devil.

Corpus desk

Index EN-devilish · devilish · English

devilish · rank #35,256 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,256
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH disarming

Nearest frequency peer: disarming (+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 “devilish”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “devilish” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

devilish vs devils
75% similar
devilish vs demolish
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for devilish
PropertyValue
Headworddevilish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#35,256
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “devilish”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).devilishlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “disarming” (#35,257), “Denham” (#35,254), “disloyal” (#35,258). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “devilish” is #35,256. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around devilish (IPA /ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #35,256 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for devilish, with forms such as "ddevilish", "deivlish", and "deviilsh". 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. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "devils", "demolish", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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 (“de… The correct English form is devilish, spelled D-E-V-I-L-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Resembling a devil.
  2. 2
    Evil, wicked.
  3. 3
    Roguish or mischievous.
  4. 4
    Excessive, extreme.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Let vs put on our meet incountering mindes, / And in deteſting ſuch a diueliſh Thiefe, / In loue of honor and defence of right / Be arm’d againſt the hate of ſuch a foe, / Whether from earth, or hell, or heauen he grow.
  2. [C]urrently incarcerated Stinc Team members Ketchy the Great, SaySoTheMac, and Bambino; the devilish and gravelly Almighty Suspect; red-clad Inglewooder and headband connoisseur FreeAckrite; baby-faced Martin Luther King Park loiterer Johnny Rose; […]

Etymology

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”).

This word in other languages

diabólico(Español)diabolique(Français)teuflisch(Deutsch)extremo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddevilish
  • deivlish
  • deviilsh
  • devilihs
  • devilishh
  • devilissh
  • devillish
  • devilsih
  • devliish
  • devvilish
  • dveilish
  • edvilish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of devilish - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddevilish1deivlish2deviilsh2devilihs2devilishh1devilissh1devillish1devilsih2
Edit distance from "devilish"

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 "devilish"?
"devilish" is spelled D-E-V-I-L-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/.
What does "devilish" mean?
As an adjective, "devilish" means: Resembling a devil.
What words are commonly confused with "devilish"?
"devilish" is commonly confused with "devils", "demolish". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "devilish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "devilish" is /ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/. 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 "devilish"?
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 teuf... 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 "devilish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

disloyal#35,258emissary#35,278erectile#35,282Esposito#35,283

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

cutthroat12 variantsforetold12 variantsFrancine12 variantsbilliards12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list