Faustian

/ˈfaʊstɪən/

//ˈfaʊstɪən// adj

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

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

The verdict

“Faustian” is uncommon English (frequency #87,276 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,276
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to Faust, especially in the sense of being willing to abandon one's principles or values in order to pursue knowledge, wealth or other benefits.

Corpus desk

Index EN-faustian · Faustian · English

Faustian · rank #87,276 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #87,276
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH ferritin

Nearest frequency peer: ferritin (+4 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 “Faustian”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Faustian
PropertyValue
HeadwordFaustian
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfaʊstɪən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#87,276
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Faustian” 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).Faustianfalls 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: “ferritin” (#87,280), “Falkner” (#87,271), “fibroid” (#87,281). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “Faustian” is #87,276. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Faustian is uncommon English at frequency #87,276 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈfaʊstɪən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Of or pertaining to Faust, especially in the sense of being willing to abandon one's principles or values in order to pursue knowledge, wealth or other benefits.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for Faustian, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the surname of the German alchemist and magician Johann Georg Faust (c. 1466 or 1480 – c. 1541) + -ian (suffix forming relational adjectives or nouns). According to medieval legend, Faust made a contract with the Devil, exchanging his soul for unlimite… The correct English form is Faustian, spelled F-A-U-S-T-I-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to Faust, especially in the sense of being willing to abandon one's principles or values in order to pursue knowledge, wealth or other benefits.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But along with this growth, there is at the same time developed in his breast, a Faustian conflict between the passion for accumulation, and the desire for enjoyment.
  2. Each transaction in the transient corresponds to a pragmatics that transforms the Faustian promise into an advertising slogan.

Etymology

From the surname of the German alchemist and magician Johann Georg Faust (c. 1466 or 1480 – c. 1541) + -ian (suffix forming relational adjectives or nouns). According to medieval legend, Faust made a contract with the Devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Purported tales about Faust’s life first appeared in print in an anonymously written chapbook, Historia von D. Johann Fausten (1587). The story was then particularly popularized by two plays, Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragicall History of D. Faustus (first published 1604) and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust (published 1808 and 1832).

This word in other languages

fáustico(Español)faustisch(Deutsch)

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 "Faustian"?
"Faustian" is spelled F-A-U-S-T-I-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfaʊstɪən/.
What does "Faustian" mean?
As an adjective, "Faustian" means: Of or pertaining to Faust, especially in the sense of being willing to abandon one's principles or values in order to pursue knowledge, wealth or other benefits.
How do you pronounce "Faustian"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Faustian" is /ˈfaʊstɪən/. 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 "Faustian"?
From the surname of the German alchemist and magician Johann Georg Faust (c. 1466 or 1480 – c. 1541) + -ian (suffix forming relational adjectives or nouns). According to medieval legend, Faust made a contract with the Devil, exchanging his soul fo... 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 "Faustian", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

ferritin#87,280ethology#87,261fluffing#87,292escargot#87,259

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list