frightensome
"frightensome" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“frightensome” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Characterized by frightening; inducing fear; scary
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | frightensome |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “frightensome” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for frightensome is 12 letters long, classified as an adjective. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Characterized by frightening; inducing fear; scary".
frightensome doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From frighten + -some. The correct English form is frightensome, spelled F-R-I-G-H-T-E-N-S-O-M-E.
Definition
- 1Characterized by frightening; inducing fear; scary
Etymology
From frighten + -some.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “frightensome”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-R-I-G-H-T-E-N-S-O-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.