# devilish

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈdɛvəlɪʃ/ · frequency rank #35,256

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

## 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”).

## Easily confused with
- **devils** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/devilish-vs-devils)
- **demolish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/demolish-vs-devilish)

## Common misspellings (12)
`ddevilish`, `deivlish`, `deviilsh`, `devilihs`, `devilishh`, `devilissh`, `devillish`, `devilsih`, `devliish`, `devvilish`, `dveilish`, `edvilish`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/devilish