godchild

/ˈɡɑdˌt͡ʃaɪld/

//ˈɡɑdˌt͡ʃaɪld// noun

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

The verdict

“godchild” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. 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) - A child whose baptism is sponsored by a godparent. In some cases the relationship is maintained indefinitely, with the godchild being treated much like a niece or nephew.

Key facts for godchild
PropertyValue
Headwordgodchild
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡɑdˌt͡ʃaɪld/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “godchild” sits in English frequency

godchild 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

godchild is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡɑdˌt͡ʃaɪld/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A child whose baptism is sponsored by a godparent. In some cases the relationship is maintained indefinitely, with the godchild being treated much like a niece or nephew.".

godchild doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From god- + child. The correct English form is godchild, spelled G-O-D-C-H-I-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A child whose baptism is sponsored by a godparent. In some cases the relationship is maintained indefinitely, with the godchild being treated much like a niece or nephew.

Etymology

From god- + child.

Synonyms

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 "godchild"?
"godchild" is spelled G-O-D-C-H-I-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɑdˌt͡ʃaɪld/.
What does "godchild" mean?
As a noun, "godchild" means: A child whose baptism is sponsored by a godparent. In some cases the relationship is maintained indefinitely, with the godchild being treated much like a niece or nephew.
How do you pronounce "godchild"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "godchild" is /ˈɡɑdˌt͡ʃaɪld/. 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 "godchild"?
From god- + child. 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 “godchild”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-O-D-C-H-I-L-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɡɑdˌt͡ʃaɪld/ (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