fetishist

/ˈfɛtɪʃɪst/

//ˈfɛtɪʃɪst// noun

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

The verdict

“fetishist” is uncommon English (frequency #88,332 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#88,332
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who has a sexual fetish.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fetishist · fetishist · English

fetishist · rank #88,332 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #88,332
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fers

Nearest frequency peer: fers (-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 “fetishist”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for fetishist
PropertyValue
Headwordfetishist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɛtɪʃɪst/
Letters9
Frequency rank#88,332
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fetishist” in English

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).fetishistfalls 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: “fers” (#88,331), “fasti” (#88,329), “Fierro” (#88,335). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fetishist” is #88,332. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fetishist is uncommon English at frequency #88,332 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfɛtɪʃɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for fetishist in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From fetish + -ist. The correct English form is fetishist, spelled F-E-T-I-S-H-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who has a sexual fetish.
  2. 2
    A believer in magical fetishes or talismans.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A social media convention among young and famous people is not to show bare feet to avoid attention from foot fetishists.
  2. As well might we charge the people of Massachusetts with being Fetichists, as the Professor charge us with worshipping images.

Etymology

From fetish + -ist.

This word in other languages

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 "fetishist"?
"fetishist" is spelled F-E-T-I-S-H-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɛtɪʃɪst/.
What does "fetishist" mean?
As a noun, "fetishist" means: One who has a sexual fetish.
How do you pronounce "fetishist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fetishist" is /ˈfɛtɪʃɪst/. 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 "fetishist"?
From fetish + -ist. 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 "fetishist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list