Earthling

/ˈɜːθlɪŋ/

//ˈɜːθlɪŋ// noun

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

"earthling" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Earthling” is uncommon English (frequency #75,828 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,828
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An inhabitant of Earth, as opposed to one of heaven.

Corpus desk

Index EN-earthling · Earthling · English

Earthling · rank #75,828 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,828
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ede

Nearest frequency peer: Ede (+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 “Earthling”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Earthling
PropertyValue
HeadwordEarthling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɜːθlɪŋ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#75,828
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Earthling” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).Earthlingfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “Ede” (#75,829), “dysregulation” (#75,825), “Duisburg” (#75,823). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “Earthling” is #75,828. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Earthling is uncommon English at frequency #75,828 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɜːθlɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for Earthling in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earth + -ling (suffix indicating a resident); earth is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁er- (“earth”). Old English ierþling (“farmer, husbandman, ploughman”, literally “one of the earth”) is formed from the same roots but generally did no… The correct English form is Earthling, spelled E-A-R-T-H-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    An inhabitant of Earth, as opposed to one of heaven.
  2. 2
    An inhabitant of Earth, as opposed to one of another planet; specifically, a sentient member of any species native to Earth.
  3. 3
    A person who is materialistic or worldly; a worldling.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. VVe (of all earthlings) are Gods vtmoſt ſubiects, the laſt (in a manner) that he bought to his obedience: ſhal we then forgette that vvee are any ſubiects of hys, becauſe (as amongſt his Angels) he is not viſibly conuerſant amongſt vs?

Etymology

From earth + -ling (suffix indicating a resident); earth is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁er- (“earth”). Old English ierþling (“farmer, husbandman, ploughman”, literally “one of the earth”) is formed from the same roots but generally did not outlive Old English; all modern uses are historical: see earthling. Compare also human, which is derived from Latin humus (“ground, soil”).

Synonyms

EarthanEartherEarthianEarthicanEarthieEarthletEarthlingEarthpersonEarthsiderGaianTellurianTerranTerrestrialTerrestrian

Antonyms

alienextraterrestrial

This word in other languages

terrenal(Español)terrien(Français)Erdling(Deutsch)terráqueo(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 "Earthling"?
"Earthling" is spelled E-A-R-T-H-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɜːθlɪŋ/.
What does "Earthling" mean?
As a noun, "Earthling" means: An inhabitant of Earth, as opposed to one of heaven.
How do you pronounce "Earthling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Earthling" is /ˈɜːθlɪŋ/. 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 "Earthling"?
From earth + -ling (suffix indicating a resident); earth is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁er- (“earth”). Old English ierþling (“farmer, husbandman, ploughman”, literally “one of the earth”) is formed from the same roots but genera... 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 "Earthling", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

embroider#75,840faceplate#75,865courgette#75,767corruptly#75,763

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list