frightensome

adj

"frightensome" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“frightensome” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Characterized by frightening; inducing fear; scary

Corpus desk

Index EN-frightensome · frightensome · English

frightensome · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "F" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for frightensome
PropertyValue
Headwordfrightensome
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “frightensome” in English

frightensomesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

frightensome is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "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

  1. 1
    Characterized by frightening; inducing fear; scary

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He must think I led him on, taking that ride with him and all, and talking to him so free. I'm sorry enough, for I did like him, he's so good to mother, and he prays so beautifully. He is a Christian, if he is so frightensome sometimes.

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

How do you spell "frightensome"?
"frightensome" is spelled F-R-I-G-H-T-E-N-S-O-M-E.
What does "frightensome" mean?
As an adjective, "frightensome" means: Characterized by frightening; inducing fear; scary
What is the origin of the word "frightensome"?
From frighten + -some. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list