fretful
/ˈfɹɛtfəl/
"fretful" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“fretful” is uncommon English (frequency #99,290 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #99,290
- frequency rank, English
- 2,507
- “F” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Given to fretting.
Corpus desk
Index EN-fretful · fretful · English
fretful · rank #99,290 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #99,290
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,507
- PHOTO-FINISH friary
Nearest frequency peer: friary (+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 “fretful”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- freewheel
freewheel
715 corpus weight
- fretful
fretful
711 corpus weight
- friary
friary
710 corpus weight
- Friesian
Friesian
709 corpus weight
- frontally
frontally
707 corpus weight
- Fukunaga
Fukunaga
706 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “fretful” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | fretful |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈfɹɛtfəl/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #99,290 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “fretful” in English
Rare enough to double-check
fretful is uncommon English at frequency #99,290 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈfɹɛtfəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
fretful has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From fret + -ful. The correct English form is fretful, spelled F-R-E-T-F-U-L.
Definition
- 1Given to fretting.
- 2Given to fretting.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how fretful appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Near-synonyms: fractious, petulant, waspish, impatient, angry, annoyed
I could a Tale vnfold, vvhoſe lighteſt vvord / VVould harrovv vp thy ſoule, freeze thy young blood, / Make thy tvvo eyes like Starres, ſtart from their Spheres, / Thy knotty and combined locks to part, / And each particular haire to ſtand an end, / Like Quilles vpon the fretfull Porpentine: […]
Etymology
From fret + -ful.
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 "fretful"?
What does "fretful" mean?
How do you pronounce "fretful"?
What is the origin of the word "fretful"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "fretful", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).