gentilic

/ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ɪk/

//ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ɪk// adj

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tribal or national.

Key facts for gentilic
PropertyValue
Headwordgentilic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ɪk/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gentilic” sits in English frequency

gentilic falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

gentilic is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for gentilic, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin gentilis (“of a clan or gens”) + English suffix -ic. The correct English form is gentilic, spelled G-E-N-T-I-L-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tribal or national.
  2. 2
    Describing the inhabitants of a particular place; demonymic.

Etymology

From Latin gentilis (“of a clan or gens”) + English suffix -ic.

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "gentilic"?
"gentilic" is spelled G-E-N-T-I-L-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ɪk/.
What does "gentilic" mean?
As an adjective, "gentilic" means: Tribal or national.
How do you pronounce "gentilic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gentilic" is /ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ɪk/. 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 "gentilic"?
From Latin gentilis (“of a clan or gens”) + English suffix -ic. 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.

Using “gentilic”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is G-E-N-T-I-L-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list